Library Technology R E P O R T S Expert Guides to Library Systems and Services

Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users

Nicole Hennig

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American Library Association About the Author Library Technology Nicole Hennig is an independent user experience pro- REPORTS fessional, helping librarians and educators effectively use mobile technologies. See her educational offerings ALA TechSource purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and at http://nicolehennig.com. She is the author of sev- accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. eral books, including Apps for Librarians: Using the Best Volume 53, Number 2 Mobile Technology to Educate, Create, and Engage. Her Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse online courses, such as Apps for Librarians & Educators, Podcasts for Library Users have enabled librarians from all types of institutions to ISBN: 978-0-8389-5985-5 effectively implement mobile technologies in their pro- American Library Association grams and services. Her newsletter, Mobile Apps News, 50 East Huron St. helps librarians stay current with mobile technologies. Chicago, IL 60611-2795 USA Hennig worked for the MIT Libraries for fourteen years alatechsource.org as head of user experience and web manager. She is the 800-545-2433, ext. 4299 312-944-6780 winner of several awards, including the MIT Excellence 312-280-5275 (fax) Award for Innovative Solutions. Advertising Representative Samantha Imburgia [email protected] Abstract 312-280-3244

Editors Podcasts are experiencing a renaissance today. More Patrick Hogan high-quality programming is available for more [email protected] diverse audiences than ever before. 312-280-3240 When librarians are knowledgeable about pod- Samantha Imburgia casts, how to find the best ones, and what purposes [email protected] they serve, we can point our users to the very best 312-280-3244 content and help increase digital literacy. Copy Editor Library Technology Reports (vol. 53, no. 2), “Pod- Judith Lauber cast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Production Podcasts for Library Users,” will cover Tim Clifford and Samantha Imburgia • Why podcasts are an important part of digital Cover Design Alejandra Diaz literacy • Statistics on podcast listening • The advantages of audio-based learning Library Technology Reports (ISSN 0024-2586) is published eight times a • How to find the best podcasts year (January, March, April, June, July, September, October, and Decem- • The best apps for podcast listening ber) by American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. It is managed by ALA TechSource, a unit of the publishing department of • Lists of recommended podcasts for general audi- ALA. Periodical postage paid at Chicago, Illinois, and at additional mail- ences, higher education, teens, children, people ing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Library Technology with disabilities, and diverse and underserved Reports, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. audiences Trademarked names appear in the text of this journal. Rather than identify • How podcasts are being used, in context, in K–12 or insert a trademark symbol at the appearance of each name, the authors education and higher education and the American Library Association state that the names are used for editorial purposes exclusively, to the ultimate benefit of the owners of the • Podcast accessibility for people with disabilities trademarks. There is absolutely no intention of infringement on the rights • Ideas for how libraries can become curators and of the trademark owners. recommenders of podcasts • Resources for learning more

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Copyright © 2017 Nicole Hennig All Rights Reserved. Subscriptions alatechsource.org/subscribe Contents

Chapter 1—Why Podcasts? 5 Podcasts Defined 5 Types of Podcasts 6 The Increasing Popularity of Podcasts 6 Where and When People Listen 7 Notes 7

Chapter 2—Recommended Tools for Podcast Listening 10 How to Find and Subscribe to a Podcast 10 Mobile Apps for iOS and Android 10 Desktop Apps and Websites 11 Podcast Discovery 12 Notes 14

Chapter 3—A Guide to Some of the Best Podcasts 16 Podcasts for a General Audience 16 Podcasts for Higher Education 17 Podcasts for Teens 18 Podcasts for Children 20 Podcasts for Diverse Audiences 21 Podcasts by Librarians 28 Notes 28

Chapter 4—Podcasts in Context 30 Podcasts in K–12 School Classrooms 30 Lesson Plans for Podcasts 31 Podcasts in Higher Education 31 Podcast Accessibility 33 The Future of Podcasts 34 Notes 36

Chapter 5—Opportunities for Libraries and How to Learn More 39 Libraries Recommending Podcasts 39 Summary 39 Additional Resources 40 Alphabetical List of Podcasts in This Report 40 Alphabetical Lists of Tools and Apps 42 Notes 42

Chapter 1

Why Podcasts?

his report is about curating and recommend- Here’s how Merriam-Webster defines a podcast: “A ing podcasts for your library users. Helping our program (as of music or talk) made available in digi- Tusers find the best podcasts is a great opportu- tal format for automatic download over the Internet.”2 nity for libraries because understanding podcasts is Those with technical knowledge understand podcasts an important part of today’s digital literacies. Librar- as audio or video files attached to an RSS feed. ians can curate the best podcasts for different types What’s more helpful to understand is the follow- of users—people of all ages, backgrounds, and abili- ing. The word podcast came about by combining the ties—in all types of libraries by providing handouts, word broadcast with iPod. The term began to be used web guides, and workshops. in 2004, when iPods were popular.3 At that time, tech- Podcasts are flourishing these days, and we’ll look nology was developed to make it possible to subscribe at how and why they are becoming more popular. I’ll to a feed with links to audio files you could download. discuss where and why people listen, how podcasts That way you wouldn’t have to remember to visit par- are being used in educational settings, and the advan- ticular websites and blogs that offered your favorite TechnologyLibrary Reports tages of audio podcasts for people with visual disabili- audio shows. Instead you could use software to “sub- ties. I’ll offer lists of recommended podcasts for differ- scribe” and automatically be notified when new epi- ent age levels and diverse audiences. We’ll also look at sodes were available. Since bandwidth for most peo- some of the best podcast directories and tips for find- ple was limited, downloading the files to listen to ing new podcasts. offline was (and still is) especially useful. Podcasts can be in either audio or video format, Because podcasts aren’t restricted by traditional and in this report, we’ll focus on audio podcasts. broadcast regulations, there is a huge variety of pro- That’s because there are many more audio podcasts gramming. It’s fairly easy to acquire and learn the

available, and people can use them in many situations tools for creating a podcast. So a wide variety of pro- alatechsource.org where video is not convenient. In addition, there are gramming is available, both by established media out- other resources for finding and using educational vid- lets and by individuals and organizations of all sizes. eos,1 but not as much has been written on audio. Here are a few other things to know about podcasts: I’ll also recommend some of the best podcast lis- tening apps and discuss which kinds of features are • Most podcasts are free (and many are ad-sup-

most useful in these apps. ported). You can listen on any device that plays 2017 February/March MP3 files (and other audio formats)—desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, Podcasts Defined smart earbuds, and some smart TVs.4 • You can choose to stream or to download the files Most people know that podcasts are audio programs in advance—useful when you are offline or have that you can listen to on your smartphone or tablet. low bandwidth. But many don’t know some of the interesting details • If you subscribe to a podcast, you will be notified that make podcasts a unique format. automatically when new episodes are available.

5 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig You can either auto-download each episode or it’s still a minority of Americans who actively listen to download just those episodes that interest you. them, the number is growing steadily, from 9 percent • You don’t have to subscribe to a podcast to listen in 2008 to 21 percent in 2013.20 to an individual episode. Most episodes are avail- When it comes to people who have ever listened to able on the website of their creators, and you can a podcast, the numbers have doubled since 2008—it’s stream the episode from there. now 36 percent of Americans.21 The number of people • Instead of waiting for your favorite show to broad- who say they are familiar with the term podcasting cast (as with radio), you can pick and choose has increased from 22 percent in 2006 to 49 percent shows that interest you and listen to them when- in 2015.22 ever it’s convenient. The number of podcasts produced has also grown • You can use various apps on either desktop com- in the past few years, from 69,860 in 2009 to 91,794 puters or mobile devices to subscribe to, organize, in 2013 (the most recent survey year).23 and download your podcasts. Recent statistics show that more people listen on • One thing to keep in mind is that many podcasts mobile devices than desktop computers, 69 percent offer only a few episodes and then stop publish- versus 31 percent24—not surprising, given the growth ing (for various reasons). Older podcast episodes of mobile computing and the convenience of listening still have value, depending on the topic, and it’s on the go. possible to download and listen to older episodes anytime.5 Who Creates Podcasts?

All of these characteristics make podcasts an Many news organizations are starting to invest in interesting and useful format. podcasting, partly because business models are evolv- ing to better translate them into sources of revenue (ad-supported). Another reason is that podcasts can Types of Podcasts be a new avenue for growing audiences, especially younger audiences. There are many types of podcast programming. Just There is an interesting article about the future about anything that can be listened to in audio can be of National Public Radio that discusses the con- made into a series of podcast episodes. Here are some flict between the traditional ways of reporting used examples: in radio shows like Morning Edition (with its mainly older audiences) and innovative reporting styles used • interviews6 in podcasts like Invisibilia, Code Switch, Embedded, • conversations7 and Planet Money (listened to by younger audiences). • how to8 According to the article, “Listeners want audio • recordings of entire seminars or lectures9 programming that makes them feel as though they’re • historical recordings10 getting to know a person or a topic intimately, • found footage11 whether through the familiar banter of beloved pan- • music performances12 elists or through lovingly produced works of story- • improv comedy13 telling. . . . Successful podcasts, such as Reply All, • audio drama14 Criminal, and You Must Remember This, have paved February/March 2017 • storytelling15 the way for something else entirely: meticulously • scary stories16 crafted feature journalism that, in Alex Blumberg’s • scripted or nonscripted material17 words, feels less like a collection of radio segments • a series of episodes meant to be listened to in and more like ‘narrative-driven, textured, sound-rich order (serialized)18 documentaries.’”25 There are many established media organizations alatechsource.org There is something for everyone in the world of that have been investing significant resources in pod- podcasts. casting during the past few years. Some examples are the New York Times, public radio station WNYC, the Wall Street Journal, and local newspapers, such as the The Increasing Popularity Des Moines Register. of Podcasts Newer media and startups are also getting more involved in podcasting—some examples are Slate, Listening to Podcasts BuzzFeed, Radiotopia, and Gimlet Media (a podcast network).26

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology Podcasts are increasing in popularity, with steady And with the rise of popular podcasts like Serial (a growth in the last few years (2008–2016).19 Though spin-off of the popular radio show This American Life,

6 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig which tells a true story in episodes released over the • During boring jobs course of a season), more and more people are finding • During a subway, train, or bus commute ways to use podcasts for educational purposes as well • During jobs that involve driving as entertainment. • During a road trip • While running, exercising, or going for a walk • During their morning routine: showering, getting Serial dressed https://serialpodcast.org • While cleaning the house • While doing yard work • During a bath For example, some schools have been using epi- • While waking the dog sodic podcasts like Serial in the classroom, with good • While preparing dinner results.27 “Meanwhile, high-school teachers in Cali- • At the gym during strength training fornia, Connecticut, Chicago, and a handful of other • In bed, before sleep states have been using Radiolab, This American Life, • While working as a security guard StoryCorps, and, overwhelmingly, Serial. The English teacher and Atlantic contributing writer Michael God- One thing people most appreciate is the ability to sey’s 10th- and 11th-graders were so enthralled by learn something or be entertained during bits of time Koenig’s investigative podcast that they began skip- where it’s not as convenient to watch videos or read. ping other classes to listen to it.”28 Later in this report, we’ll look at examples of how podcasts are being used in school classrooms and Podcasts Created by Local Communities and higher education and for people who are blind or have Individuals low vision. I’ll also discuss how libraries are making podcast recommendations to their communities, with Media outlets large and small aren’t the only ones cre- ideas and examples. ating podcasts. There is also an explosion of podcasts created by individuals and local communities.29 Some interesting examples include Notes 1. Julie A. DeCesare, “Streaming Video Resources for • Students telling their stories to friends and family Teaching, Learning, and Research,” Library Technol- 30 while studying abroad ogy Reports 50, no. 2 (February/March 2014), http:// • Neighborhood activists and organizers creating works.bepress.com/julie_decesare/19. podcasts to spread the word about local activities 2. Merriam-Webster, s.v. “podcast,” accessed September 14,

and cultural projects31 2016, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/podcast. TechnologyLibrary Reports • Local businesses owners talking to their 3. “Podcasting Historical Timelines and Milestones,” In- ternational Podcasting Day, accessed September 14, communities32 2016, https://internationalpodcastday.com • Local sports teams communicating with their 33 /podcasting-history. fans 4. An example of smart wireless earbuds is The Dash, • Churches and religious leaders communicating by Bragi (accessed September 23, 2016, www.bragi with their congregations34 .com)—you can load audio files on them and listen • Schools and teachers communicating with without having your smartphone with you (“Listen parents35 to Music with the Internal Music Player,” Bragi Sup- port, accessed September 23, 2016, https://support alatechsource.org Because of all this, now is a good time for librar- .bragi.com/hc/en-us/articles/203110812-Listen-to -music-with-the-Internal-Music-Player); Romain Dil- ians to develop knowledge of how to find and listen let, “Apple Releases Apple TV Update with New Pod- to the best podcasts so that we can point users to rel- casts App,” TechCrunch, January 26, 2016, https:// evant content in this convenient format. techcrunch.com/2016/01/26/apple-releases-apple -tv-update-with-new-podcasts-app.

5. “Between June 2005 and June 2015, a typical pod- 2017 February/March Where and When People Listen cast ran for six months and twelve episodes, at two episodes per month, before going inactive” (Josh One of the best things about audio podcasts is the Morgan, “How Podcasts Have Changed in Ten Years: By the Numbers,” Medium, September 2, 2015, wide variety of situations where people listen to https://medium.com/@slowerdawn/how-podcasts them. -have-changed-in-ten-years-by-the-numbers-720a In a 2015 discussion on Reddit about podcasts, 6e984e4e#.cdo8de3mx). someone asked, “when/where do you usually listen to 6. Callum Davies, “The Rising Appeal of the Interview podcasts?”36 People mentioned Podcast,” Cultured Vultures, July 24, 2015, http://

7 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig culturedvultures.com/rising-appeal-interview Podcasts,” Cool Tools, October 20, 2015, http:// -podcast. kk.org/cooltools/the-best-factual-podcasts). 7. Reddit question posted by “extraextracheese,” “Best 18. “New podcasts seldom leverage the success that tele- Podcasts with Organic Conversations?” /r/podcasts, vision has capitalized on for decades. Namely, carry- May 18, 2016, https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasts ing over characters and plotlines from one episode /comments/4jx3u2/best_podcasts_with_organic to the next. Using cliffhangers. Building up drama _conversations. for the next installment” (Eric McQuade, “The Case 8. For example, the Lifehacker podcast (iTunes Preview, for Podcast Serialization,” The Timbre, March 18, accessed September 23, 2016, https://itunes.apple 2015, http://thetimbre.com/the-case-for-podcast- .com/us/podcast/lifehacker/id508117781?mt=2). serialization). But more of these are beginning to be 9. For example, the podcast Seminars about Long-Term produced. Thinking, Long Now Foundation, accessed September 19. For a quick visual overview, see this infographic: 23, 2016, http://longnow.org/seminars/podcast. Copyblogger Media, “The Astounding Growth of 10. See this collection of podcast episodes that include Podcasting,” Pinterest, March 10, 2016, https:// historical recordings: “In Popcast, Pop Up Archive’s www.pinterest.com/pin/35606653283860174. house podcast, Eliza Smith excavates audio from Pop 20. Nancy Vogt, “Podcasting: Fact Sheet,” June 15, 2016, Up Archive’s public collections, from recordings on Pew Research Center: Journalism and Media, www wax cylinder to NASA’s interstellar rumbles. Listen .journalism.org/2016/06/15/podcasting-fact-sheet; to Smith resurface and reexamine forgotten sounds see also a study by Edison Research: “The Infinite in this series of intimate micro-podcasts” (“Browsing Dial 2016,” Edison Research: Blog—Latest News, Popcast by Pop Up Archive,” accessed September 14, March 10, 2016, www.edisonresearch.com 2016, https://www.popuparchive.com /the-infinite-dial-2016. /collections/4425). 21. Vogt, “Podcasting: Fact Sheet.” 11. David O’Donoghue, “Archive 81 Shows That the 22. Pew Research Center, “Podcasting: Americans’ Fa- Found Footage Genre Is Made for Podcasts,” Cul- miliarity with Podcasting,” News Media Indicators tured Vultures, August 10, 2016, http://culturedvul Database, accessed September 14, 2016, www.jour tures.com/archive-81-found-footage-podcasts. nalism.org/media-indicators/podcasting-americans 12. For example, the podcast Tiny Desk Concerts, from -familiarity-with-podcasting. NPR “Tiny Desk Concerts—Audio,” NPR Music, Pod- 23. Pew Research Center, “Podcasting: Number of Pod- cast Directory, accessed September 23, 2016, www casts Produced 2009 to 2013,” News Media Indica- .npr.org/podcasts/510306/tiny-desk-concerts-audio. tors Database, accessed September 14, 2016, www 13. Reddit question posted by “rodeobot,” “Improv Pod- .journalism.org/media-indicators/podcasting-num casts?” /r/Improv, February 3, 2015, https://www ber-of-podcasts-produced-2009-to-2013. .reddit.com/r/improv/comments/2unqy4/improv 24. Vogt, “Podcasting: Fact Sheet.” _podcasts. 25. Leon Neyfakh, “The Fight for the Future of NPR,” 14. Quora question posted by Rachel Krislov, “What Are Slate, April 10, 2016, www.slate.com/articles/news the Best Audio Drama Podcasts I Can Listen To?” _and_politics/cover_story/2016/04/the_fight_for_the May 19, 2016, accessed September 14, 2016, https:// _future_of_npr_can_public_radio_survive_the_pod www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-Audio-Drama cast_revolution.html. -Podcasts-I-can-listen-to. 26. Vogt, “Podcasting: Fact Sheet.” 15. Schick Hydro Canada, “The 14 Most Addictive Story- 27. Linda Flanagan, “What Teens are Learning from ‘Se- telling Podcasts of 2015,” BuzzFeed, June 22, 2015, rial’ and Other Podcasts,” Mind/Shift, KQED News, https://www.buzzfeed.com/schickhydro March 11, 2015, http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift canada/the-most-addicting-storytelling-podcasts /2015/03/11/what-teens-are-learning-from-serial -of-201-u00c?utm_term=.ksZAZxaqL#.filvAGnjE. -and-other-podcasts. February/March 2017 16. David O’Donoghue, “Why Podcasts Are the Hottest 28. Linda Flanagan, “Meaningful Stories: How Teens New Medium for Scary Stories,” Cultured Vultures, Connect with StoryCorps and Podcasts,” Mind/Shift, April 6, 2016, http://culturedvultures.com KQED News, May 13, 2015, http://ww2.kqed.org /podcasts-scary-stories. /mindshift/2015/05/13/personal-stories-how-teens 17. “Unscripted shows are usually interviews or dis- -connect-with-storycorps-and-podcasts. cussions that play out as recorded. The producers 29. “Normal, Every-Day Uses for Podcasting,” Jellycast,

alatechsource.org don’t know, nor have much control, over where accessed September 14, 2016, www.jellycast.com the show goes. Scripted shows, on the other hand, /examples.html. will carefully edit interviews after the fact, mixing 30. Natalie M., “Saying YES: A Study Abroad Podcast,” them with narration, inter-splicing them with other Memories Made in Muscat (blog), accessed September interviews, maybe adding a soundtrack or ambient 23, 2016, https://muscatmemories.wordpress.com sounds. They craft the raw factual materials into a /saying-yes-a-study-abroad-podcast. highly produced show in the way a reporter might 31. “CHIRP is a volunteer-driven, online community ra- craft a magazine article, rather than just run a Q&A. dio station that focuses on music, arts, and culture. Scripted shows, on average, take much more energy, We are live and local every day of the year from time, staff (and money) to make than unscripted 6am–midnight from our studios in Chicago’s North shows (with some exceptions). It is no surprise that Center neighborhood, and the city we live in is a key Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology the highest ranked podcasts are scripted” (Kevin part of everything we do” (“About Chirp Radio,” ac- Kelly and Mark Frauenfelder, “The Best Factual cessed September 23, 2016, http://chirpradio.org

8 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig /about). Access the podcasts at http://chirpradio.org 34. “Carlton Hill Friends’ Podcasts,” Leeds Quakers, ac- /podcasts. cessed September 23, 2016, www.leedsquakers 32. “The Grit City Podcast . . . features Brogan & Scott, .org.uk/about-us/podcasts. two blue collar guys exploring the people, places and 35. “Parent Podcast,” Ceiba College Preparatory Acad- things that make the pacific northwest great. The emy, Ceiba Public Schools, accessed September 23, show often spotlights, local small business, history, 2016, www.ceibaschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp artists, entertainers & public figures” (“Grit City Pod- ?uREC_ID=419391&type=d&pREC_ID=927040. cast”), Seattle A-List, CityVoter, accessed September 36. Reddit question posted by “Jessicaward25,” “When 14, 2016, http://best.cityvoter.com/grit-city-podcast do you listen to podcasts?” /r/podcasts, April 5, /biz/701825. 2015, https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasts/comments 33. Eric Allgood, “Locker Room Podcast—State Track /31jm3i/when_do_you_listen_to_podcasts. Preview,” Striv Sports, May 19, 2016, http://strivs ports.com/locker-room-podcast-state-track-preview. TechnologyLibrary Reports alatechsource.org February/March 2017 February/March

9 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Chapter 2

Recommended Tools for Podcast Listening

How to Find and Subscribe within the app for finding podcasts to subscribe to. to a Podcast Once you subscribe to a podcast, you can choose whether to automatically download the latest episode Podcasts can be found in many ways. If someone tells and whether to delete episodes you’ve finished. You you about an interesting podcast, you might start by can also choose from several other choices to cus- searching Google for the title, with the word podcast tomize your listening. We’ll look at both desktop and after it. You can usually find the website of the pod- mobile apps in the upcoming sections of this report. cast and from there find a link to subscribe. If you’re looking for a particular episode, you don’t actually need to subscribe. Most podcasts offer ways to listen Mobile Apps for iOS and Android to individual episodes in your web browser without subscribing.1 There are many options for listening to podcasts on Once you start subscribing to several podcasts, mobile devices. In this section, I’ll list some of the you’ll probably want to use a desktop or mobile app to highest-rated apps for iOS and Android. organize your subscriptions. Apple’s iTunes is the most One of the reasons to use a dedicated mobile app popular desktop app (for Mac or Windows).2 It also has for podcasts is that these apps have very useful fea- one of the largest directories of podcasts available, so tures, such as skipping ahead or back by a few seconds it’s a good place to search for and browse podcasts by (to skip introductions), a sleep timer, volume boost for topic. noisy situations, and so on. February/March 2017 To do a quick search, enter a podcast name in the My current favorite app is Pocket Casts ($3.99) iTunes search box, and then filter your results by pod- because it’s available for both iOS and Android, has casts. If you visit the Podcasts section of the iTunes many useful features, and has a very user-friendly store, you can browse by topic and other categories, design.4 Features such as free syncing across all your such as Editor’s Choice, New & Noteworthy, Modern devices, web playback (for a one-time fee of $9), vari- Audio Drama, and so on. able speed playback, skip ahead by 45 seconds or back alatechsource.org One thing to keep in mind is that iTunes does not by 10 seconds (the number of seconds is adjustable in contain all of the world’s podcasts. Some podcasters Settings), volume boost (for noisy situations, like in don’t configure their shows for it. Also, Apple has dif- the car), and a sleep timer. If you use both Android ferent iTunes stores for each country, so many interna- and iOS, you will like this app since you can sync your tional podcasts are not found in the US store.3 Because podcasts between Android and iOS devices. of that, it’s a good idea to use more than one directory. Several reviewers promote Overcast (free, for I’ll discuss these in the section of this report on pod- iOS only) as the best player available.5 It has features cast discovery later in this chapter. that are similar to Pocket Casts and in addition offers There are quite a few useful mobile apps for pod- “Smart Speed.” Smart Speed dynamically skips and

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology cast listening, and they are available for multiple plat- shortens silences in talk shows. If you use only iOS forms. Most have a directory and search function devices, you might prefer this app.

10 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Another excellent iOS app is Castro, which focuses • Per-podcast effects settings on making it easy to set up a queue of individual epi- • Sleep timer sodes from different podcasts.6 It provides an inbox • Playlists where you can see the latest episode of each pod- • Unlimited number of playlists cast you are subscribed to. From there you can either • Unlimited episodes shown in playlists add an episode to your queue for future listening or • Streaming option archive it. You can drag episodes into any order you • Built-in directory like in your listening queue. Episodes can be streamed • Background downloading or downloaded. • Push notifications • Sharing on social media iOS Apps • Syncing across all your devices • Web playback • Overcast, free, https://overcast.fm. Also offers app for Apple Watch and web player, https://over Shortening silences can end up saving a lot of time cast.fm/podcasts. and is barely noticeable. Using a sleep timer is handy • Pocket Casts, $3.99, www.shiftyjelly.com/pock if you listen before bed, and syncing across all of your etcasts. Also offers web player, https://play.pock devices makes it easy to begin your listening at home etcasts.com. and continue later when in your car or out for a walk. • Castro, free, http://supertop.co/castro. • Downcast, $2.99, http://downcastapp.com. Also offers apps for Apple Watch, Mac, and soon CarPlay. Desktop Apps and Websites • Podcasts (Apple’s bu i lt-i n app), f ree , ht t ps://it u ne s .apple.com/us/app/podcasts/d525463029?mt=8. In addition to iTunes (mentioned earlier in this report), • Otto Radio, free, https://www.ottoradio.com. there are several other options for listening to pod- This app is designed to find podcasts and news casts on your desktop or laptop computer. stories that match your interests. It tailors play- lists to your desired listening time, useful for Mac and Windows Apps quickly setting up a playlist for a long commute. If you want to use a dedicated app, try one of these: Android Apps • iTunes, free, www.apple.com/itunes/download. • Pocket Casts, $3.99, www.shiftyjelly.com/pock • Downcast, Mac app, $7.99. https://itunes.apple etcasts. Also offers a web player: https://play .com/us/app/downcast/id668429425?mt=12.

.pocketcasts.com. TechnologyLibrary Reports • Castro, free, http://supertop.co/castro. Desktop Web • BeyondPod, free, www.beyondpod.mobi/android /index.htm. If you prefer to use your web browser, these are good • Player FM, free, https://player.fm. options: • AntennaPod, free, http://antennapod.org. • Podcast Republic, free, http://podcastrepublic.net. • Pocket Casts, $9 one-time fee, https://play.pock • Podcast & Radio Addict, free, https://play.google etcasts.com. .com/store/apps/details?id=com.bambuna.podcast • Overcast, free, https://overcast.fm/podcasts.

addict. • Google Play Music, free, https://play.google.com alat /music/listen?u=0#/tps. echsource.org Features to Look For • ShortOrange, free, https://shortorange.com. (iOS and Android apps coming soon.) When deciding on an app to use for podcast listen- ing, the following features will make your listening Other Ways to Listen on Mobile or Desktop more convenient, especially if you subscribe to many Febr podcasts. Stitcher Radio 2017 uary/March • Smart speed (dynamically shortens silences) http://www.stitcher.com. With free apps for iOS and • Volume boost (normalizes volume in noisy situa- Android.7 tions, like your car) Stitcher is a very popular free app for listening to • Cellular downloads podcasts. It’s a little different from other services in • Variable playback speed (accelerated audio and that it hosts the podcast audio files itself and inserts slow audio) ads instead of linking to each podcast’s server. Some

11 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig podcast publishers don’t like this practice because it include some podcasts as well.12 Audible is calling makes it difficult for them to measure their total num- this service Channels, and it offers a library of audio, ber of downloads (easy to do when using their own including original programs, articles read aloud, and servers). So you may find that a particular podcast more. It’s $4.95 per month for a subscription to Chan- you are looking for is not available on Stitcher. Still, nels or is free if you already have a monthly member- it’s a well-designed app that makes it easy to share ship to Audible’s audiobooks ($14.95). If you have an your favorite episodes on social media. In June 2016, Amazon Prime membership, you can get free access to Stitcher was purchased by podcast advertising com- “Audible Channels for Prime.” pany Midroll Media.8 To sum up, many streaming services are now including podcasts and can serve as an additional way TuneIn Radio to listen, especially if you are already using these ser- http://tunein.com. vices for music or streaming radio. But a dedicated Free with premium service for $7.99/month. app will provide the most convenience if you listen to With premium, you also get content from NFL, Major particular podcasts regularly. League Baseball, audiobooks, and ad-free music. TuneIn is mainly for streaming audio of over 100,000 radio stations from around the world, but Podcast Discovery it also offers streaming podcasts. You can listen on the website or in apps for smartphones and tablets on Just about every mobile or desktop podcast app men- multiple platforms.9 It also has apps for other devices, tioned in previous sections includes a directory, and including smart TVs like Roku, Chromecast, and Ama- that’s a good place to start when browsing or search- zon Fire TV. There is an Apple Watch app, and TuneIn ing for podcasts. is also available with the Amazon Echo (voice-con- In addition to those apps, there are also quite a trolled speaker). In addition to all that, it’s built in few specialized podcast directories, and some have to many different car audio systems. Think of TuneIn features that will help you find podcasts in useful as an additional way to listen conveniently to your ways. Here are a few recommended sites. favorite podcasts from all sorts of different devices. It doesn’t have all the extra features of dedicated apps General Directories like Overcast or Pocket Casts, but it’s a convenient alternative to use in certain situations. PodcastLand http://podcastland.com Spotify Browse by topic or search by keyword. Try search- https://www.spotify.com ing for a city, such as San Francisco, to find local The popular streaming music service Spotify has podcasts. a section for listening to and “following” podcasts.10 It’s designed mostly for streaming, but it is possible to Podcast Chart download individual episodes if you have the premium https://www.podcastchart.com service. There is a free version with ads and a premium Browse by topic and subtopic, or search by key- version for $9.99 per month. Not all podcasts are avail- word. This site indexes the most popular podcasts by able in Spotify, but many of the most popular ones are. number of downloads. February/March 2017 SoundCloud iTunes Charts https://soundcloud.com www.itunescharts.net/us/charts/podcasts If you already use SoundCloud to listen to music, Use this site to find out which podcasts are most you might also want to listen to podcasts here. How- popular in the iTunes store, both overall and by genre, ever, it’s mainly for streaming and doesn’t have all the such as comedy, arts, or technology. alatechsource.org convenient features that dedicated podcast apps have. Many podcasters use it to host their podcasts and then Timbre—Podcast Playlists submit them to the iTunes store for discovery.11 Sound- http://thetimbre.com/category/playlists Cloud has free apps for iOS and Android and makes it This podcast review site is no longer publishing, but easy for podcast creators to embed a player in their it is still worth looking at for its “podcast playlists”—lists blog or website for each individual episode. of podcast episodes grouped by interesting topic, such as “Nerd Out on Science Podcasts” (http://thetimbre.com Audible /nerd-out-on-science-podcasts), “Podcasting in Color” www.audible.com (http://thetimbre.com/1449-2), and “Book Lovers! Curl

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology Audible is a well-known online store for audio- Up by the Fire with These Podcasts” (http://thetimbre books (owned by Amazon), and in 2016, it began to .com/filling-your-bookshelves-with-podcasts).

12 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig The Telegraph (UK)—Podcasts to be notified when specific words, phrases, or peo- www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts ple’s names appear in a podcast. This site was created Browse this site for interesting lists of podcasts, by Pop Up Archive, a company that uses software to such as the best fiction podcasts, podcasts to help peo- automatically create transcripts of audio. ple who live alone with cancer, stranger than fiction: the best factual podcasts, the best TV and film pod- PodLikeThat—from Audiosear.ch casts, and more. https://www.audiosear.ch/podlikethat Enter the title of a specific podcast episode in the Tech Times—Podmaster search box and get a list of similar episodes from vari- www.techtimes.com/tags/podmasters ous podcasts. For an example, try this episode, “The A series of blog posts recommending podcasts in Meaning of Emoji.” Results vary—it doesn’t always different categories, such as philosophy, music, and work as well as one would like. technology. E-Mail Newsletters about Podcasts Sites That Promote and Discuss Individual The Big Listen Episodes http://www.npr.org/newsletter/big-listen Product Hunt—Podcasts NPR’s The Big Listen is a podcast about podcasts https://www.producthunt.com/podcasts (see entry in my list of podcasts about podcasts). Sign Product Hunt is a popular community where up to get an email newsletter with recommendations enthusiasts share information about the best apps, of the best podcasts. websites, hardware projects, and more. The podcasts section recommends specific episodes each day, and Hotpod most are technology related. www.hotpod.xyz Hotpod is an e-mail newsletter about the industry AV Club—Podmass of podcasting and on-demand audio. It analyzes the www.avclub.com/features/podmass industry and also mentions interesting podcasts. Read Every week the AV Club recommends ten to fif- past issues at https://www.hotpodnews.com. teen of the previous week’s best podcast episodes. Hodgepodge Earbud—NPR www.wnyc.org/podcasts http://earbud.fm Hodgepodge is WNYC’s weekly newsletter about NPR’s recommended podcasts by topic, with inter- favorite episodes from the podcasts it produces, such esting topics, such as Advice, Big Ideas, Celebrity as Radiolab, The New Yorker Radio Hour, Note to Self, TechnologyLibrary Reports Picks, Fiction, Brighten My Day, and more. and more.

Listen to This—The Guardian Between Two Earbuds https://www.theguardian.com/culture/series/listen-to-this http://betweentwoearbuds.com The Guardian offers a weekly series recommend- This newsletter recommends great podcasts on a ing current best podcast episodes. variety of topics each week.

Adolescence Is a Marketing Tool Search Tools with Special Features

http://tinyletter.com/sara-weber alatechsource.org This is another general interest newsletter by a Podcat fan of podcasts. https://www.podcat.com Search for specific people who are mentioned Audible Feast or interviewed in podcasts. For example, search for http://tinyletter.com/audiblefeast

“Lynda Barry,” and find a list of podcast episodes that Every two weeks, get podcast reviews and 2017 February/March mention her.13 recommendations.

Audiosear.ch 7 on 7 Podcast Reviews https://www.audiosear.ch http://tinyletter.com/goodlistener This site uses a speech-to-text tool to index Get podcast reviews from seven podcasts during shows, topic, networks, and people. It includes statis- the last seven days. tics from the iTunes charts and lists of podcasts by various “tastemakers.” Try the audio alerts feature

13 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig The Audit In Pod We Trust—BBC Radio 4 http://tinyletter.com/TheAudit www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06pjdjh Podcast reviews from Australia. A BBC show that discusses best podcasts from around the world, with a different topic each week. Bello Weekly http://bellocollective.com The Pod Couple This newsletter focuses on diverse perspectives https://soundcloud.com/thetelegraph/sets/the-pod in podcasting. It highlights work that deserves more -couple-a-guide-to-the recognition. A weekly podcast from The Telegraph where hosts Gillian and Pete discuss and recommend their favor- Pod-a-Day ite podcasts.15 https://www.audiosear.ch/podaday Audiosear.ch recommends one podcast episode The Podcast Digest per day with this e-mail newsletter. www.thepodcastdigest.info Behind-the-scenes interviews with podcast hosts Facebook Messenger Bot and recommendations for new podcasts.

PodRec Podcast Playlist—CBC www.podrecbot.com www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastplaylist This bot works inside Facebook Messenger. Use From CBC Radio, Podcast Playlist curates recom- this link to open it in Messenger: http://m.me/podrec. mended content and stories from the podcast world. Type “hit me,” and it will reply with a specific episode Hosted by Matt Galloway and Lindsay Michael. from a different podcast each time. Learn more about it at https://www.producthunt.com/tech/podrec. Sampler https://gimletmedia.com/show/sampler Discussion Groups—Ask Questions about Excerpts from podcasts and interviews with pod- Podcasts casters. This show ended in October 2016, but is still worth listening to for previous episodes. Podcasts Reddit Group https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasts As you can see, with so many options for discovery, Discover new podcasts and discuss your favor- you should be able to find a podcast or individual epi- ites. It’s also a place where podcast producers discuss sode on just about any topic you can think of. Podcasts equipment, promotion, and techniques. are booming now, and so are sites for recommending them. Quora Topic—Podcasts https://www.quora.com/topic/Podcasts Notes This topic consists of questions and answers about podcasts (not about how to podcast)—questions like 1. For example, here’s the web archive for This Ameri- can Life’s podcast. You can download or stream indi-

uary/March 2017 “What are some great podcasts?” “What are the best BBC podcasts?” and “How did the podcast Serial vidual episodes: “This American Life: Radio Archive

Febr by Date,” accessed September 23, 2016, www.this become so popular?” americanlife.org/radio-archives. 2. Download iTunes for Mac or Windows from the Podcasts about Podcasts iTunes download page, accessed September 23, 2016, www.apple.com/itunes/download. There are many podcasts about how to produce a pod- 3. Josh Morgan, “How Podcasts Have Changed in Ten echsource.org cast,14 but we’re interested here in podcasts that rec- Years: By the Numbers,” Medium, September 2, alat 2015, https://medium.com/@slowerdawn/how

ommend and review podcasts. -podcasts-have-changed-in-ten-years-by-the-num The Big Listen bers-720a6e984e4e#.cdo8de3mx. 4. Pocket Casts website, accessed September 23, 2016, http://wamu.org/programs/the_big_listen www.shiftyjelly.com/pocketcasts. Interviews, listener recommendations, and show 5. Bradley Chambers, “Overcast: Our Favorite Podcast snippets of recommended podcasts. Hosted by Client for iOS: Overcast,” The Sweet Setup, Septem- WAMU’s Lauren Ober. Also offers an email newsletter ber 8, 2016, http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/our (http://www.npr.org/newsletter/big-listen). -favorite-podcast-client-for-ios. Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology

14 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig 6. John Voorhees, “Castro 2 Review,” MacStories, Au- -publishing-platform.html; Harsh Argwal, “How to gust 15, 2016, https://www.macstories.net/reviews Publish Audio Podcasts to the iTunes Store Using /castro-2-review. SoundCloud,” ShoutMeLoud (blog), January 6, 2015, 7. “Stitcher Radio for Podcasts,” iTunes Preview, ac- www.shoutmeloud.com/soundcloud-podcast-hosting cessed September 23, 2016, https://itunes.apple.com .html. /us/app/stitcher-radio-for-podcasts/id288087905 12. Niraj Chokshi, “Amazon’s Audible Goes Long on ?mt=8; “Stitcher Radio for Podcasts,” Google Play, Short-Form Audio,” New York Times, July 7, 2016, accessed September 23, 2016, https://play.google.com www.nytimes.com/2016/07/08/business/media/am /store/apps/details?id=com.stitcher.app&hl=en. azons-audible-goes-long-on-short-term-audio.html. 8. Steven Perlberg, “E. W. Scripps Buys Podcast Compa- 13. “Podcasts Mentioning Lynda Barry,” Podcat, accessed ny Stitcher: Podcast App Will Operate under Scripps’ September 23, 2016, https://www.podcat.com Midroll Media Unit after $4.5 Million Acquisition,” /people/9nf0gw. Wall Street Journal, June 6, 2016, www.wsj.com 14. Harry Duran, “The Incredibly Exhaustive List of /articles/e-w-scripps-buys-podcast-company-stitcher Podcasts about Podcasting,” Podcast Junkies (blog), -1465239600. December 5, 2015, www.podcastjunkies.com/the 9. TuneIn download page, accessed September 23, -incredibly-exhaustive-list-of-podcasts-about-pod 2016, https://tunein.com/get-tunein. casting. 10. “Podcasts,” Using Spotify: Lifestyle Features, ac- 15. Gillian Reynolds and Pete Naughton, “The Pod cessed September 14, 2016, https://support.spotify Couple: Episode One—Your New Audio Guide to the .com/us/using_spotify/lifestyle_features/podcasts/. Best Podcasts and Digital Radio,” Telegraph, April 29, 11. Dan York, “The Power of SoundCloud as a Podcast 2016, www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/the-pod Publishing Platform,” Disruptive Conversations (blog), -couple-your-new-audio-guide-to-the-best-podcasts May 6, 2015, www.disruptiveconversations.com -and-dig. /2015/05/the-power-of-soundcloud-as-a-podcast TechnologyLibrary Reports alatechsource.org February/March 2017 February/March

15 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Chapter 3

A Guide to Some of the Best Podcasts

ince the number of podcasts is very large and Note to Self—WNYC growing (more than 325,000 podcasts are avail- www.wnyc.org/shows/notetoself Sable in iTunes according to 2016 statistics),1 it’s This podcast is about new technologies and their easy to feel overwhelmed. In this section, I’ll recom- implications for everyday life. It’s aimed at those who mend a selection of well-reviewed podcasts in different want to “preserve their humanity in the digital age.” 2 categories and discuss how to find podcasts by topic. It’s hosted by Manoush Zomorodi, who encourages lis- teners to question everything.

Podcasts for a General Audience On the Media—WNYC www.wnyc.org/otm-podcast There are so many excellent podcasts that it’s not easy This is a weekly show that explores and analyzes to create a list of the best general ones. I won’t aim to the process of making news media. It aims to uncover do that; instead, here’s a list of a few well-known pod- the media-making process and looks at challenges casts that get good reviews and are popular. relating to freedom of information and expression in If you want to recommend a few podcasts for peo- the United States and abroad. ple who are new to podcast listening, you can use this list. The upcoming section (podcasts for teens) may RadioLab—WNYC also be of interest to adults. www.radiolab.org/series/podcasts Radiolab calls itself a show about curiosity. It blurs February/March 2017 Freakonomics Radio—WNYC the lines between science, philosophy, and the human www.npr.org/podcasts/452538045/freakonomics-radio experience. It’s a popular radio program produced by A show based on the bestselling book Freakonom- WNYC and broadcasted by public radio stations in the ics by journalist Stephen J. Dubner and economist Ste- United States. ven D. Levitt. Dubner has conversations that explore the riddles of everyday life and the wrinkles of human Revisionist History—Panoply alatechsource.org nature. He talks with his coauthor Levitt and also with http://revisionisthistory.com Nobel laureates, social scientists, and entrepreneurs. This popular podcast features the author Malcolm Gladwell, author of Tipping Point, Blink, and several Invisibilia—NPR other books. Each week it reexamines events, people, www.npr.org/podcasts/510307/invisibilia or ideas from the past, selecting topics that often have Invisibilia, which is Latin for “invisible things,” been ignored, disregarded, or misunderstood. covers the thoughts, beliefs, assumptions, and feelings that shape human behavior. Cohosted by Lulu Miller, Science Friday—PRI Hanna Rosin, and Alix Spiegel, this podcast uses nar- www.pri.org/programs/science-friday

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology rative storytelling and scientific research to tell fasci- This podcast covers news about science and tech- nating stories. nology in fun, interesting ways. Hosted by Ira Flatow,

16 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig it features experts and people who want to be experts. journalism with an occasional comedy routine. Topics In addition, the program often includes a segment are wide ranging. To get an idea of the content, take where listeners call in with interesting questions for a look at the archive of old episodes: www.thisameri those experts. canlife.org/radio-archives. As you can see, most of these podcasts are pro- Sooo Many White Guys—WNYC duced by well-known media outlets, and often they http://www.wnyc.org/shows/whiteguys are recordings of existing radio shows. In future sec- This is a podcast by comedian Phoebe Robinson, tions, we’ll look at podcasts by small, independent where she interviews performers, musicians, authors, creators—many of which exist only in podcast form. and artists who are doing outstanding work in vari- ous fields. None of them are white men. She turns the tables by including only one episode per season where Podcasts for Higher Education she interviews a “token white guy.” This is a relatively new podcast, launched in July of 2016, and is already In this section, I’ll recommend a few podcasts for very popular. higher education students, faculty, and administra- tors. There are many podcasts created by specific uni- StoryCorps—NPR versities, professors, students, and higher education www.npr.org/podcasts/510200/storycorps professionals, so this is just a small sampling. StoryCorps journeys across the United States gath- ering narratives of everyday folk who get the chance For Students to interview each other about their experiences and lives. These interesting interviews aren’t scripted and College Info Geek are shared weekly on StoryCorps. http://collegeinfogeek.com/cast Study tips and interviews with professionals who StarTalk Radio Show with Neil DeGrasse Tyson—Curved have interesting jobs. Light Productions http://startalkradio.co/category/podcasts The Torch: The Great Courses Podcast This podcast about space is hosted by renowned www.thegreatcourses.com/podcast?ICMP=102636 astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Topics include Host Ed Leon interviews expert professors about space travel, extraterrestrial life, the future of planet interesting research from their specialties. Earth, and more. It’s a lively show, where he is joined weekly by comedians, celebrities, and other special For Faculty guests.

The Student Caring Podcast for Professors TechnologyLibrary Reports Studio 360—PRI and WNYC http://studentcaring.com/podcast-for-professors www.wnyc.org/shows/studio Podcast hosts de Roulet and Pecoraro, authors of Studio 360 is a weekly public radio program about the book The Caring Professor: A Guide to Effective, arts and culture, hosted by novelist and journalist Rewarding, and Rigorous Teaching, discuss how to be Kurt Andersen. It covers topics such as creativity, pop an effective professor. culture, and the arts. Trends & Issues in Instructional Design, Educational TED Radio Hour—NPR Technology, & Learning Sciences

www.npr.org/podcasts/510298/ted-radio-hour http://trendsandissues.com/category/trends-issues alatechsource.org TED Radio Hour is a one-hour show that brings -podcast together excerpts and interviews from TED Talks on Professors Abbie Brown and Tim Green are experts particular topics. It’s hosted by Guy Raz and copro- in educational technologies. Each week they discuss duced by NPR and TED. TED Talks covers new solu- several trends in instructional design. tions and new processes to old problems, new inven-

tions, and new means to conceive ideas and create. General Higher Education News 2017 February/March

This American Life—Chicago Public Media and PRI Higher Ed Live www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast http://higheredlive.com/podcasts This American Life is one of the most popular pod- This podcast is for higher education professionals casts in the United States. It’s a recording of the radio and covers admissions, advancement, marketing, stu- show of the same name, sometimes with extra mate- dent affairs, and communications. rial that the radio didn’t have time to include. There’s a theme to each episode, and most of the stories are

17 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Higher Ed Coffee Break Spanish Step by Step www.npr.org/podcasts/417236598/higher-ed http://radiolingua.com/2009/08/introducing-coffee From KUT, the public radio station at University -break-spanish-step-by-step of Texas, Austin, Jennifer Stanton and Southwestern A series of fun Spanish lessons for beginners, University President Dr. Ed Burger explore topics of offered in short chunks for learning during short higher education and lifelong learning. breaks. Listen to teacher Marc teach student Kara in a fun and charming way, with silent moments for you Re:Learning Podcast by the Chronicle of Higher Education to speak the answers as well. Radio Lingua also offers http://chronicle.com/specialreport/Re-Learning podcasts for beginners in French and German. -Podcast/34 A podcast from the Chronicle of Higher Education The Documentary—BBC World Service about teachers, ed-tech entrepreneurs, long-time edu- www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nq0lx/episodes/ cators, and other people who are framing the future downloads of higher education. Listen to some of the best BBC World Service audio documentaries, with titles such as “Graffiti: Specific Professions Paint and Protest in Brazil,” “Women with the Right Stuff” (women astronauts), and “Batman and Ethan,” Law School Toolbox Podcast (a 10-year-old blind boy and gifted musician who is http://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast learning echolocation). This is a show for law students that offers useful recommendations and covers topics about law school, EOS 10 the bar exam, careers in law, and more. www.eos10.com A science fiction audio drama about two doctors Economic Rockstar and their medical team aboard a space aircraft within www.economicrockstar.com/podcasts an intergalactic world. Includes comic elements and Frank Conway, lecturer in economics, finance, excellent voice acting. Listen to the episodes in order and statistics, produces this weekly podcast where he with each season, as you would a show on Netflix. interviews experts in the field about various aspects of economics and finance. Getting In: A Podcast about the College Admissions Process The Short Coat Podcast: Broadcasts from the Amazing and www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/getting_in/2015/09 Intense World of Medical School /getting_in_a_podcast_about_applying_to_college.html http://theshortcoat.com This podcast follows a diverse group of high- From students at the University of Iowa Carver school seniors from a New York City school as they College of Medicine, this podcast is about the demand- apply to college. Hosted by a former dean of freshmen ing environment of medical school. at Stanford University.

Finding More Podcasts for Higher Education Good Job, Brain! www.goodjobbrain.com To find more podcasts on this topic, try browsing the This fun weekly podcast is comprised of trivia February/March 2017 higher education category of Podcast Chart: www quizzes and unique facts and news. .podcastchart.com/categories/higher-education-pod casts, a useful aggregator of podcasts. The History Chicks http://thehistorychicks.com/about This is a show about female characters in history, Podcasts for Teens both fictional and real. Hosts Beckett Graham and alatechsource.org Susan Vollenweider chat about the challenges, fail- Many podcasts aimed at adults are also enjoyed by ures and successes, and interesting facts about each teens (and vice versa). So if you are recommending person. Includes shows about Helen Keller, Queen Vic- podcasts to teenagers, start with the list of podcasts for toria, Frida Kahlo, Amelia Earhart, Joan of Arc, Beat- a general audience in a previous section of this chapter. rix Potter, and many more. Here’s a sampling of podcasts that are enjoyed by teen audiences. Of course, every teen is different, so Lore this list includes a variety of topics to choose from, www.lorepodcast.com/episodes such as music, foreign language learning, science fic- An award-winning podcast of true, mysterious

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology tion, math, history, science, philosophy, and life sto- stories from history in the style of scary stories told ries by both famous and ordinary people. around the campfire. Explores the true origins of

18 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig myths, such as zombies, werewolves, vampires, and to. There are rumors it will start up again in the near ghosts. It is soon to be made into a TV show. future. Its how-to toolkit is available online: www.wnyc .org/story/diy-radio-rookies-toolkit. Math Mutation http://mathmutation.blogspot.com Serial Math Mutation explores intriguing, entertain- https://serialpodcast.org ing, or curious aspects of mathematics. Each episode This award-winning podcast from the creators of explores an interesting concept of math that doesn’t This American Life and hosted by Sarah Koenig is a require looking at equations, such as geometry, infin- true story, told in episodes over the course of a sea- ity, paradoxes, and more. son. Season One is about a high-school senior who was murdered in 1999. Her classmate and ex-boyfriend, The Naked Scientists Annan Syed, was arrested and sentenced to life in www.thenakedscientists.com prison. To this day, he maintains his innocence. The This podcast describes itself as a show “by a story is about various discrepancies in the trial and media-savvy group of physicians and researchers aims to ask, “How can you know a person’s character? from Cambridge University [who] strip science down How can you tell what they’re capable of?” Season to its bare essentials and promote it to the general Two is the story of US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, public.”3 The hosts interview top scientists, answer an American soldier who was held for five years by science questions, and keep you up to date on the lat- the Taliban and then charged with desertion. est science news. Still Buffering On Being www.maximumfun.org/shows/still-buffering www.onbeing.org Three real-life young sisters discuss topics of inter- This award-winning podcast, hosted by Krista Tip- est to teens yesterday and today. They discuss topics pett, explores question such as “What does it mean to that separate and unite their generations and have a be human?” and “How do we want to live?” Tippett lot of fun doing it. Topics include body image, likes interviews guests such as the fourteenth Dalai Lama, and dislikes about going back to school each year, Desmond Tutu, Thich Nhat Hanh, Yo-Yo Ma, Brian slumber parties, favorite foods, and the world of high- Greene, and Elie Wiesel. school theater. It’s lighthearted and funny.

The Podcast History of Our World Stuff to Blow Your Mind—How Stuff Works www.podcasthistoryofourworld.com www.stufftoblowyourmind.com/podcasts An award-winning podcast on world history, cov- This podcast explores science, philosophy, and ering periods “from the Big Bang to the Modern Age.”4 history by looking at neurological quandaries, evo- TechnologyLibrary Reports (Currently, it’s only up to ancient Rome). Done with lutionary marvels, and cosmic mysteries. Episodes enthusiasm and humor, it’s never boring. Created by include topics like mosquito-breeding programs, Sat- enthusiastic history teacher Rob Monaco. urn’s rings and moons, empathy in elephants, and the future of tattoos. It won the 2015 Academy of Pod- Radio Diaries Podcast casts Award for Best Science and Medicine podcast. http://feed.radiodiaries.org/radio-diaries Radio Diaries is made up of first-person diaries of Stuff You Should Know—How Stuff Works individual people, from teenagers to people in their www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts

eighties, from all walks of life. It weaves together This podcast is an award-winning series of shows alatechsource.org home recordings, archival news audio, and first-per- published by How Stuff Works and hosted by writers son accounts. Several episodes are interviews with Josh Clark and Charles W. “Chuck” Bryant. They aim teens from around the world, and of course teens may to educate the public about “common things and how be interested in interviews with people of all ages. they work.” 5 Some topics include “How Night Terrors Work,” “How Triage Works,” “How Witness Protection Radio Rookies—WNYC Works,” “How Radiation Sickness Works,” and “What’s 2017 February/March www.wnyc.org/articles/radio-rookies-podcasts with This Internet of Things?” Browse its archive of This podcast about the challenges of teen life is a hundreds of episodes for topics you might be interested Peabody Award–winning WNYC journalism initiative, in: www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/archive. with episodes produced by teens, about teens. This initiative works using a mentorship model, helping This I Believe teens master interviewing, writing, editing, and voice http://thisibelieve.org/podcasts skills. This podcast ended in February of 2016, and This podcast is based on the popular 1950s radio all the past episodes are available and worth listening series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.

19 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Every week, different people read essays that they Aaron’s World have written about their personal philosophies. This www.mydogrocket.com is followed by an interview by the host. People inter- Listen to the time-traveling adventures of a boy viewed include both everyday citizens and well- and his computer in the prehistoric world. Start from known people, such as Gloria Steinem, Yo-Yo Ma, and the beginning of the first season to experience the Muhammad Ali. You can listen to some of the record- larger story arc. The first season is about dinosaurs, ings from the early 1950s on this page: http://thisi and the next few seasons cover mammals, ocean crea- believe.org/essays/fifties, which includes people such tures, and more. Aaron and his dad started producing as Jackie Robinson, Martha Graham, Ralph J. Bunche, the show when he was six and ended when he was ten. Robert Heinlein, and Oscar Hammerstein II. It’s well produced with fun sound effects.

Welcome to Night Vale Book Club for Kids www.welcometonightvale.com www.bookclubforkids.org/new-blog This podcast is a radio drama about a fictional This is a podcast where middle-school kids meet to desert town. It’s done in the style of a local news talk about books. Each episode also includes a celeb- program. It’s hypnotic and darkly funny, telling the rity reader and an interview with the author. The host story of a place where every conspiracy theory is real, is award-winning public radio journalist Kitty Felde. but it’s not really a big deal. It has received positive reviews from many sources.6 Brains On! www.brainson.org What It Takes This is a very popular science podcast for kids, www.podcastchart.com/podcasts/what-it-takes with a loyal audience of six-to-twelve-year-olds. Each This podcast is about passion, vision, and perse- episode seeks to answer a question posed at the start verance from the Academy of Achievement. It includes by interviewing adult science experts. (How is glass conversations with famous people in many fields: sci- made? How do airplanes fly? Mosquitos: What are ence, music, politics, sports, literature, and technol- they good for?) A different child cohosts each episode ogy. The interviews have been recorded over the past with adult hosts from public radio—Sanden Totten, twenty-five years and include interesting life lessons. Marc Sanchez, and Molly Bloom. The hosts have interviewed Elie Wiesel, Carole King, Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, Steve Jobs, Coretta Ear Snacks Scott King, and many more well-known people. http://andrewandpolly.com/earsnacks Hosts Andrew and Polly (a married couple with a child) host this fun podcast featuring kids ages two to Podcasts for Children seven. They have worked with over sixty children and their parents to cover topics like fruit, disguises, rain, Some commentators have written about the lack of and shadows. They talk with each other, play audio podcasts for kids,7 and several groups are beginning to clips of kids talking about the topic, talk with adult organize and produce more podcasts aimed at them. experts, and they play their original music—indie pop An example is Kids Listen, a new grassroots organiza- music for kids.8 tion of advocates for high-quality audio content for February/March 2017 children. To learn more, see www.kidslisten.org. Kid Friday: You’re a Kid in a Digital World In spite of that lack, there are some high-quality www.kidfriday.com podcasts for kids. The list below gives you a sampling, This popular video podcast can be enjoyed as on topics including classic and modern stories, stories audio without a problem. It’s hosted by sixteen-year- written by kids, book reviews, science, technology, old Hannah, thirteen-year-old Zoe, and their dad comics, music, and world cultures. Dave—and sometimes includes Winston, their poo- alatechsource.org dle. They discuss apps, websites, gadgets, and current 500 Words events. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02tkm27/episodes /downloads Kids on Comics These fictional stories are written by kids who are http://kidsoncomics.com finalists in a 500-word story competition. They range A school-aged boy and his dad get together once from very funny to serious and are read by the judges a week and talk about comic books. Each episode and celebrities. It’s a BBC podcast, and the kids who focuses on one title. The dad asks interesting ques- enter the competition need to be residents of the United tions of his son, getting at his reaction to the comic

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology Kingdom and between five and thirteen years old. they are discussing.

20 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Podcast Kid and then the hosts interview the child authors. The http://podcastkid.com actors tell these stories in a funny, creative way, with Jenna, age seven, and her dad discuss topics of great sound effects. They also perform these dramas interest to kids from a kid’s perspective. Topics include live in schools around the country. See www.storypi friends, changing schools, being bossy, dreams, bore- rates.org. dom, mean girls, and more. Jenna has been pod- casting with her dad since she was three years old. Storynory They have great conversational chemistry with lots of www.storynory.com laughs and funny voices. This podcast is made up of stories for kids beauti- fully read by professional actors from the United King- Shabam! dom. It includes classic fairy tales, myths, adventure, www.shabamshow.com/shows and new original stories for kids. See this list of some This unique science podcast for kids ages eight to of its most popular stories, grouped by topic or theme: thirteen is wrapped in a fictional story, so it’s best to www.storynory.com/2014/07/28/start. It even hosts a start with episode one. The story is about three kids writing competition for kids, where winners get their separated from their parents during a zombie apoca- story read on the podcast.10 lypse. Each episode focuses on a different topic, like pathogens, epidemics, digital communication, and our Tumble reliance on electricity. Each episode is about thirty www.sciencepodcastforkids.com minutes long and includes entertaining sound effects This science podcast for kids ages eight to twelve and music. is created for family listening. Hosted by science jour- nalist Lindsay Patterson and teacher Marshall Esca- Short & Curly milla, it has an interesting manifesto, consisting of https://soundcloud.com/short-curly two beliefs: (1) “If kids understand how science works, This is an entertaining and thoughtful podcast for the future will be a better place,” and (2) “Let’s make kids and families about ethics, produced by the Aus- more podcasts for kids.”11 Some topics include the tralian Broadcasting Company. The hosts, actress/ hunt for black holes, the voyage of the ocean trash, writer Molly Daniels and reporter Carl Smith, post the quest for the edge of the universe, and the cave of interesting ethical questions, and they ask kids to say the upside-down bat. what they think. Then they bring in experts on the same topic and ask their opinions. At some point dur- World of Wonder ing the episode they tell listeners to pause the podcast https://soundcloud.com/world-of-wonder and think or discuss certain questions. Some topics Young hosts Helen and Ethan and their dad Joe include “Should you move to Mars?” “Is it ever OK to interview guests from many different countries. TechnologyLibrary Reports lie?” “Should chimps have the same rights as kids?” Guests share stories about their own cultures and and “Can you trust a robot?” what we can learn from them. Meet guests from Paki- stan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and more. The Show about Science https://soundcloud.com/the-show-about-science Six-year-old Nate is the host of this science pod- Podcasts for Diverse Audiences cast. His questions are answered in interviews with physicists, chemists, and other scientists and research- According to the ALA Policy Manual’s section on

ers. This is an interesting show for all ages—adults, diversity, “Care must be taken to acquire and provide alatechsource.org too. It’s great to hear scientists explain things at a materials that meet the educational, informational, level that young kids can understand. Some of the top- and recreational needs of diverse communities.”12 ics covered include invisibility cloaks, vultures, radia- Specifically, the policy mentions the importance tion, alligators, bat biology, and recycling. This pod- of serving “those who may experience language or lit- cast is part of the Kids Listen organization.9 eracy-related barriers; economic distress; cultural or

social isolation; physical or attitudinal barriers; rac- 2017 February/March Story Pirates ism; discrimination on the basis of appearance, eth- https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/story-pirates nicity, immigrant status, religious background, sexual -podcast/id719585944?mt=2 orientation, gender identity, gender expression; or bar- This podcast takes stories written by kids and riers to equal education, employment, and housing.”13 turns them into audio drama performed by first-rate Keeping this in mind, let’s look at some data. Are actors and comedians. First the host reads the story there podcasts by and for diverse audiences? Accord- exactly as written, then the troupe performs the story, ing to Nielsen data, “Listeners still largely fit the profile

21 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig of early adopters. As Jesse Holcomb, associate director #Girlboss of research at the Pew Center, explains, ‘They’re more http://www.girlboss.com/podcast/ likely to be male, young, have higher incomes, be col- In this podcast, you’ll hear interviews with women lege graduates, live in an urban area.’”14 who have made an impact in business or creative fields. As of late 2016, there is some good news. Accord- It includes plenty of advice and plenty of humor. ing to Edison Research, a group that has been tracking demographics of podcast listeners for over a decade, The Guilty Feminist “In the early days of the medium, Podcasting was dis- www.guiltyfeminist.com proportionally a medium for white males, ages 25–44. This podcast, hosted by comedians Sofie Hagen Much of that ‘skew’ was down to the available content and Deborah Frances-White, is recorded in front of a options, but today, the content universe for Podcasts live audience. In it, they interview and discuss top- has exploded, and the diversity of programming avail- ics with their guests that feminists usually agree on, able rivals any other form of audio.”15 while also confessing their insecurities and fears. Those statistics are about ethnic diversity only and don’t cover gender, economic class, or other cat- International Realness egories of diverse populations. But there is some http://international-realness.tumblr.com good news for other categories of diversity. A pod- International Realness hosts Ejolee Mitchell, May cast collective based in Chicago is aiming to create a Steinberg, and Radford Lathan explain international community of shows by women, people of color, and events, global politics, and issues that cross borders. queer-identified hosts. Its goal is to bring more diver- All three hosts have degrees in international relations. sity to podcasting and help underrepresented voices create their own shows.16 Nerdette In order to assist librarians with recommending https://www.wbez.org/shows/nerdette/b2c2c10b podcasts for diverse audiences, I’ve complied lists of -1e7f-43ca-b3ad-55d6fd33722c podcasts in the following categories: This podcast is made up of interviews with pop- ular authors, artists, astronauts, and more. “Because • Produced or hosted by women everybody is a little nerdy about something.” 17 From • Racial and ethnic diversity (African Americans, WBEZ Chicago, Nerdette is cohosted by Greta Johnsen Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans) and Tricia Bobeda. • LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning) Sandi Klein’s Conversations with Creative Women • Aging and ageism (elders’ and children’s rights) http://sandikleinshow.com/podcasts • Homelessness, poverty and economic class Interviews with creative women in a wide vari- • People who are (or were) incarcerated ety of professions—like performers, writers, directors, • Adult literacy musicians, composers, painters, fashion designers, sci- • Neurodiversity and mental health issues entists, educators, investors, and more. • Physical disabilities She Does—Conversations with Creative Minds These lists can serve as a starting point for find- www.shedoespodcast.com ing podcasts for diverse audiences on diverse topics. This podcast is about creative women who work February/March 2017 in media. Each episode includes an interview with the Produced or Hosted by Women creator and then goes deeper into their process and philosophy. It’s hosted and created by Elaine Sheldon The Bindercast and Sarah Ginsburg. http://bindercast.libsyn.com This podcast is about women writers and gender Slate’s Double X Gabfest alatechsource.org non-conforming writers. They tackle questions related www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/doublex_gabfest. to being successful as a writer, such as balancing your html art with your day job. It’s a production from a non- This audio programming is from Double X, Slate’s profit called Out of the Binders, which is committed blog founded by women. Each week it discusses sex- to expanding the diversity of voices found in media. ism in current events and female empowerment.

Call Your Girlfriend Stuff Mom Never Told You www.callyourgirlfriend.com www.stuffmomnevertoldyou.com/podcasts Its tagline is “for long-distance besties every- Hosted by Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin, this

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology where.” The two hosts discuss pop culture and politics audio podcast from How Stuff Works (www.howstuff from a feminist perspective. works.com) covers a wide range of social topics, such

22 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig as food, film, body image, athletics, mental health, with—Episode 55: “16 Books We Fell in Love with and civil rights. as Young Black Girls”: https://www.buzzfeed.com /anotherround/16-books-we-loved-as-young-black UnLearned -girls?utm_term=.siAEjVpZ2#.afowQzKJD. www.unlearnedpodcast.com A podcast about unlearning harmful stereotypes Changing the Face of Power that are often taught about blackness, femininity, sex- www.rebeccamthompson.com/podcast uality, and religion. It’s hosted by two women from This podcast is devoted to encouraging and sup- Chicago, Katherine Best and Mesha Arant. porting black women in running for elected office. Host Rebecca Thompson interviews an appointed official or Women of the Hour—Lena Dunham candidate in each episode of this weekly podcast. https://soundcloud.com/womenofthehour This is Lena Dunham’s podcast about friendship, In Black America love, work, bodies, and more. Episodes are from 2015, http://kut.org/term/black-america when it was released as a miniseries. In Black America is a long-running radio program that discusses all aspects of the African American Racial and Ethnic Diversity experience. John Hanson speaks with a diverse range of both current and historical people. Guests on the Code Switch program include artists, civil rights leaders, educa- www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch tors, authors, and athletes. NPR’s Code Switch podcast is by a team of jour- nalists who look into the themes of race, ethnicity, The Read and culture and explore how people experience those http://thisistheread.com/current-shows themes in their everyday lives. Each week, Kid Fury and Crissle host a podcast discussing icons from hip-hop and pop culture. The Mash-Up Americans www.mashupamericans.com/listen Snap Judgment Hosts Amy S. Choi and Rebecca Lehrer talk cul- http://snapjudgment.org/podcast ture, identity, and what makes us who we are. Amy, A storytelling show hosted by Glynn Washington. cofounder and editorial director, is a Korean American It’s well-produced, with excellent sound design. Lis- married to a Colombian Mexican American. Rebecca, ten to this if you love a good story or if you’re a fan of cofounder and chief executive, is a Salvadoran Jewish shows like This American Life or The Moth and you’d American married to an American American. Together like to hear a more diverse mix of voices. they discuss issues facing “mash-up Americans.” Their TechnologyLibrary Reports slogan is “Get to know yourself, America.” 18 Asian Americans

Our National Conversation About Conversations About Race Explain Things to Me http://www.panoply.fm/shows http://explainthingstome.libsyn.com/podcast Three authors, Baratunde Thurston (How to Be In this podcast, hosts Anna Akana and Brad Gage Black), Raquel Cepeda (Bird of Paradise: How I Became get qualified experts to explain things to them. They Latina), and Tanner Colby (Some of My Best Friends engage in conservations with interesting people, such Are Black), are the hosts of this conversational show as an investigative journalist, an online entrepreneur,

about the ways we talk about culture, identity, poli- a film critic, a costume designer, an astrophysicist, alatechsource.org tics, power, and privilege in America. and other experts.

PostBourgie #GoodMuslimBadMuslim https://soundcloud.com/geedee215 http://www.goodmuslimbadmuslim.com PostBourgie is a blog about race, gender, class, poli- The idea for the podcast began with a hashtag con-

tics, and media. This is the podcast version of that blog. versation between Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed and Zahra 2017 February/March Noorbakhsh using #GoodMuslimBadMuslim. Accord- African Americans ing to their webpage, “To the Muslim community, we are ‘bad’ Muslims—we listen to music, we don’t pray Another Round regularly, we date or get married to white men (Zahra), https://www.buzzfeed.com/anotherround identify as punks and radicals (Taz), we perform and Hosts Heben Nigatu (editor, writer) and Tracy share our lives with comedy and writing. . . . To non- Clayton (writer, humorist) talk about race, femi- Muslims, we are ‘good’—we don’t drink, we don’t nism, and pop culture. Here’s a fun episode to begin do drugs, we are not criminals, we are social justice

23 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig activists and community leaders. We are successful, Nómadas (which translates to nomads in English) pres- published, accomplished.”19 They banter and joke with ents conversations with guests about a different loca- both sides and work to produce their own narrative, tion around the globe every week—including street full of satire and humor. sounds and insights into the culture, food, music, and history. Sound and Fury: The Angry Asian Podcast http://angryasianman.libsyn.com Radio Ambulante This is the official podcast of the Angry Asian http://radioambulante.org Man blog. Host Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man) interviews This podcast focuses on stories in Spanish from all members of the Asian Pacific American community. over Latin America and the United States. Some refer Guests have included Samantha Futerman from the to it as a Spanish version of This American Life. The documentary Twinsters, actor Randall Park who stars host and founder is Daniel Alarcón, a Peruvian-born in the TV sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, and writer and author who grew up in Alabama. comedian Jenny Yang. Native Americans What Just Happened? http://whatjustpodcast.libsyn.com Native America Calling Host David Chang discusses relevant, recent, and https://soundcloud.com/native-america-calling often controversial topics. He researches everything This is a live program that allows guests and lis- about each topic, and the result is a very informative teners to call in during the episode. Hosted by Tara podcast that leaves listeners better informed. Gatewood (Isleta), this program engages guests and listeners in captivating conversations from a Native Latinos American perspective.

Alt.Latino Native Opinion www.npr.org/sections/altlatino http://nativeopinion.com Alt.Latino is about Latin alternative music and Hosted by Michael Kickingbear, of the Mashan- rock in Spanish, with interesting commentary. It’s a tucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and David GreyOwl, a great way to discover new music. This is one of several member of the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama, this music podcasts from NPR in different genres (rock, podcast offers an indigenous perspective on current pop, jazz, classical, and more). Choose the genres you issues in American history, politics, and culture. like from the list on this page: www.npr.org/music. Native Trailblazers Latino Rebels www.blogtalkradio.com/nativetrailblazers www.blogtalkradio.com/latinorebels www.nativetrailblazers.com Humor, commentary, and an examination of the This show features successful indigenous experts US Latino experience are the topics found in this pod- in many fields. Native people interviewed include a cast. Some episode titles are “What Does Hispanic comic book artist, indie music award winners, hip-hop Look Like?” and “A Taco Truck on Every Corner.” artists, a film actor, comedians, and more. It’s hosted Latino Rebels also has in informative news website: by St. Regis Mohawk photojournalist and author Vin- February/March 2017 http://latinorebels.com. cent Schilling, St. Regis Mohawk photojournalist and author, and Delores Schilling, CEO of Schilling Media. Latino USA http://latinousa.org/episodes National Native News Latino USA is produced by Futuro Media, which https://soundcloud.com/nationalnativenews was founded in 2010 by award-winning journalist This is a five-minute weekday program devoted to alatechsource.org Maria Hinojosa. It focuses on making content about Native news and issues. It gathers news reports from the new American mainstream with the aim of encour- around the United States and is hosted by news anchor aging individuals to navigate the intricacies of a world Antonia Gonzales (Navajo). It’s from the Native Voice that is more and more diverse. This podcast features One network: www.nv1.org. See its other radio shows stories that are usually overlooked by primary media here: www.nv1.org/programs. outlets. Red Town Radio Nómadas www.blogtalkradio.com/redtownradio www.ivoox.com/podcast-nomadas_sq_f1925_1.html This podcast examines current events as they

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology This podcast is produced by Radio Nacional de relate to the treatment of and discrimination against España (RNE). Hosted by Álvaro Soto in Spanish, indigenous people.

24 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig LGBTQ youth, allies, activists, and families in order to con- vey the perspectives of the trans child movement and The BiCast—Podcast for the Bisexual Community expose a wider audience to the movement. The pod- https://thebicast.org cast offers varied perspectives from all people of all This podcast is from a multi-platform bisexual ages and backgrounds on what it means to be a trans- media group offering news, information, and opinion gender youth today. It also answers anonymous ques- stories for the bisexual community. tions on the air.

Lesbian Lounge We Want the Airwaves http://mylesbianradio.podbean.com http://qtpocart.libsyn.com/podcast The Lesbian Lounge is hosted by an American les- According to her website, “Nia King is a multi­ bian in London named Denise. It covers international media journalist whose work focuses on political art LGBT news, events, and pop culture. by women, queer people, and people of color.”21 In her podcast, she discusses tips and advice on how to make One from the Vaults—Transgender History Podcast a living as an artist while staying true to yourself. She https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/one-from-the interviews like-minded artists who are doing that suc- -vaults/id1071270085?mt=2 cessfully. Transcripts are available on Scribd: https:// This is a trans history podcast by Morgan M Page www.scribd.com/user/223838842/Nia-King. (http://odofemi.com). She is a multiple award-win- ning performance and video artist, writer, and activ- Aging and Ageism ist in Canada. She has written for several magazines about trans, sex work, and HIV issues. Her nonfiction Don’t Act Your Age also appears in Cleis Press’s Best Sex Writing of the www.dontactyourage.org Year. This is a storytelling show about growing older, designed for “boomers and beyond” and is a good Outsports—A Voice for LGBT Athletes show for all ages. www.outsports.com/podcast Outsports is an LGBT sports publication talking Elder Justice Podcast Series about gay athletes and homophobia. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/elder-justice -podcast-series/id590043766?mt=2&ls=1 Queer State of Mind This podcast is no longer offering new episodes, http://radioqueerminded.com/qsom but it is worth listening to for past ones. It was pro- Queer State of Mind is a podcast from New York City duced by the NYC Elder Abuse Center (NYCEAC)

where LGBTQ people of color come together to discuss and covers topics that help people effectively assist TechnologyLibrary Reports local issues, news, and entertainment. It’s hosted by victims. Orie Givens with a panel of rotating guest cohosts. It also airs live on Radio Free Brooklyn (http://radio Bloomer Boomer freebrooklyn.com). http://bloomerboomer.com/podcast Bloomer Boomer calls itself the “Huffington Post Strange Fruit for Boomers.” Each of its podcasts is thirty minutes http://wfpl.org/category/programs/strange-fruit or less and focuses on actionable items for listeners. This podcast produced by WFPL in Louisville, Some topics include entrepreneurship, travel advice,

Kentucky, is hosted by Jaison Gardner, a community fitness, downsizing, dating, and “un-retirement.” alatechsource.org activist, and Dr. Kaila Story, University of Louisville professor. On the show, they discuss politics and pop Sandi Klein’s Conversations with Creative Women culture from a black gay perspective. http://sandikleinshow.com This podcast (mentioned earlier in this chapter) is Throwing Shade well-tagged, so you can find all of the episodes on the

www.throwingshade.com topic of aging using this link: http://sandikleinshow 2017 February/March This podcast gets rave reviews.20 Hosts Erin Gib- .com/category/aging. son and Bryan Safi cover gay rights, women’s issues, pop culture, and politics with a comic style. Children’s Rights

Transwaves—Trans Youth Equality Foundation Ageism usually describes prejudicial attitudes towards https://soundcloud.com/transwaves older people, but it can also to refer to discrimina- This podcast is produced by the Trans Youth tion against adolescents and children—ignoring their Equality Foundation. It features interviews with trans ideas because they are too young or assuming they

25 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig should behave in certain ways because of their age.22 People Who Are Incarcerated For that reason, I also include a couple of podcasts about children’s rights. ACLU Podcasts on Mass Incarceration https://www.aclu.org/search/%20?f[0]=type%3Apod Oxford Children’s Rights Network Podcasts cast&f[1]=field_issues%3A62 https://oxfordchildrensrights.org/category/podcasts The American Civil Liberties Union has podcasts The Oxford Children’s Rights Network is a group on several topics. The link above will filter the list to of students, researchers, and practitioners based in just those about mass incarceration. Hear from former Oxford, England, working on a broad range of issues prisoners, experts on prison reform, and more. related to children’s rights. Their podcasts are record- ings of seminars on this topic. Earning Freedom—Michael Santos https://michaelsantos.com/podcast UNICEF Podcasts Former prisoner Michael Santos shares stories of www.unicef.org/videoaudio/video_allpodcasts.html himself and others who have successfully made the UNICEF has an interesting podcast series on topics transition to life after prison. with titles like “Peace-Building through Early Child- hood Education,” “Girls Who Code Can Change the Radio Diaries—Prison Diaries World towards Gender Parity in Computing Fields,” and www.radiodiaries.org/tag/prison-diaries “Mariam Khalique, a Teacher of Malala Yousafzai’s, Is These are the episodes tagged “prison diaries” Building Futures under Extreme Circumstances.” from the more general podcast Radio Diaries. It’s made up of audio journals by inmates, correctional officers, Homelessness, Poverty, and Economic Class and a judge who recorded the sounds of typical days behind bars, including roll call, meals, family visits, Grapple and shakedowns. http://crossroads.newsworks.org/keystonecrossroads /grapple States of Incarceration Grapple is a podcast made up of personal narra- http://statesofincarceration.org/podcast tives by people who live and work in distressed com- This podcast features stories of the incarcerated munities, both small towns and large urban areas. from seventeen states around the United States. Epi- This podcast discusses how economically challenged sodes are made by a team of students who inter- communities have changed over time and the current view witnesses (people who live near prisons, who issues that they are facing. work in prisons, and formerly incarcerated people) about how the prison boom is affecting their com- The New Middle—NPR series munities. A useful teaching resource page is avail- www.npr.org/series/485129365/the-new-middle able on the show’s website for those teaching about This series explores different aspects of being mass incarceration: http://statesofincarceration.org/ middle class in America with episode titles like “Mod- teaching-resources. ern Television Portrays Complex View of the Middle Class,” “Dispelling the Myth of a Classless Society in Unprisoned: Stories from the System ‘White Trash,’” “Middle Class Earners Struggle to Pay http://wwno.org/programs/unprisoned-stories-system February/March 2017 Rent in New York City,” and more. Independent producer Eve Abrams offers this pod- cast from New Orleans. In these episodes, you hear Poverty Research & Policy Podcast from people serving time, both inside and outside the www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/media/podcasts.htm criminal justice system. They share stories in order to This podcast is from the Institute for Research on spark conversation about how mass incarceration can Poverty at the University of Wisconsin. It includes inter- change families and communities, with an emphasis alatechsource.org views with researchers and episodes with titles such on how children are affected. as “Do the Labels We Use for Public Benefit Programs Matter?” and “The Suburbanization of US Poverty.” Adult Literacy

TalkPoverty Radio Voice of Literacy https://talkpoverty.org/podcast www.voiceofliteracy.org Through interviews with journalists, advocates, This podcast consists of interviews with liter- and people struggling to make ends meet, Talk Pov- acy researchers discussing the significance of their erty Radio discusses what can be done to make our research. Teachers, parents, and policymakers are

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology economy work for all economic classes and not just encouraged to listen to the podcast and discuss meth- the rich. ods to enhance literacy instruction.

26 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Neurodiversity and Mental Health Issues Blind Living Radio www.blindlivingradio.com The Autism Show Host Harley Thomas, along with special guests, http://autismshow.org talk about life in the blind community. They discuss This podcast is made for autism parents and edu- everything from experiences with having a guide dog cators. Leading autism advocates, authors, educators, to advances in assistive technology. and organizations are interviewed and share resources and advice for the autism community. The Blind Sport Podcast http://blindsportpodcast.com The Bipolar Family Host Mike Lloyd is from Auckland, New Zealand, http://thebipolarfamily.podbean.com is blind, and enjoys running, cycling, and keeping Listen to the stories of a family who have been active. His podcast is for those who are fully blind, diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Covers topics like individuals with limited vision, and their friends and suicidal thoughts, manic episodes, and depression. family. His goal is to assist others in enhancing their sport. Episodes include interviews, tips, and personal The Dyslexia Quest opinions. www.elishevaschwartz.com/series/episode-archieve This podcast is hosted by Elisheva Schwartz—a Changing the World for Deaf People dyslexia researcher. Her aim is to decode the dyslexic http://terptree.podbean.com mind and help everyone identify and comprehend This podcast is produced by Terptree, a business both the strengths and the difficulties of this process- that works to produce social change in order to teach ing style. She interviews cognitive scientists, geneti- and inspire deaf and hearing people. Some episodes cists, and other experts. include “Deaf Jobseeker and Employee Experience Survey,” “Come Fly With Me—Deaf Access at Air- Loud Mute Radio ports,” and “5 Year Old Learns Sign Language to Com- http://muleandmuseproductions.com/loud-mute-radio municate with Deaf Mum.” Listen to this podcast to This podcast is hosted by writer/advocate Barb learn more about Deaf culture. Rentenbach and educational psychologist Lois Pris- lovsky, PhD. Rentenbach is mute. “She communicates Cool Blind Tech by typing one letter at a time and considers herself https://coolblindtech.com/category/podcasts/ a contemplative—she spends most of her time think- The slogan of this podcast is “podcasts for the ing about things that are not present and observing blind, by the blind.” Its mission is to maximize the that which is.” 23 She and her cohost cover many inter- independence and participation of the blind and low-

esting and funny topics related to neurodiversity and vision community with technology. TechnologyLibrary Reports autism spectrum disorder. Digital Accessibility Made Simple Physical Disabilities http://www.lyndondunbar.com/a11ymadesimple/ This podcast, hosted by Lyndon Dunbar, has a mis- AppleVis Podcast: Empowering Blind and Low-Vision Users sion “to help bridge the gap between technology and of Apple Products digital accessibility so that persons with disabilities www.applevis.com/podcasts can engage in fulfilling work and lead a life of inde- This podcast covers topics of interest to blind pendence with confidence.”24 Some episodes include

and low-vision users of Apple devices. Featured top- “Developing Accessible WordPress Plugins,” “Read alatechsource.org ics include walkthroughs and demonstrations of apps, Faster with BeeLine Reader,” and “Everything Apple tips on using iOS and Mac OS, and accessory reviews. Accessibility.” It also invites listeners to upload their own audio com- ments for inclusion in future podcasts: www.applevis Disability Matters .com/upload-audio-inclusion-podcast. https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1315/disability

-matters 2017 February/March Blind Hour Podcast This podcast emphasizes career opportunities and https://soundcloud.com/blindhour empowerment for people with disabilities. It’s broad- The Blind Hour is hosted by two visually impaired casted live and provides captioning in real time for individuals, Max and John. This show is designed to those who are deaf and hard of hearing. The pro- empower and entertain people, both sighted and with gram focuses on how people with disabilities can find impairment. employment and how we all can help to empower peo- ple with disabilities.

27 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Disability.TV Cyberpunk Librarian http://disabilitythinking.podbean.com http://cyberpunklibrarian.com This podcast is about how people with disabili- Daniel Messer, the Cyberpunk Librarian, discusses ties are depicted on television. It discusses shows such technology trends in this podcast for librarians who as The West Wing, Game of Thrones, Bones, and more. are “high tech and low budget.” Transcripts are available for each episode. #Dear Book Nerd Ouch: Disability Talk http://bookriot.com/category/dear-book-nerd www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02r6yqw/episodes In this podcast, Rita Meade, a public librarian in /downloads Brooklyn, along with a guest co-host answer advice This BBC show includes interviews and conversa- questions related to books. Questions range from how tions with people who have various kinds of disabili- to increase your reading to how to deal with depres- ties with a humorous flair. They use guest presenters, sion through books. along with host Kate Monaghan and the Ouch blog team. Documents That Changed the World https://ischool.uw.edu/documents-that-changed-world Stories from the Brainreels University of Washington Information School Pro- http://whoamitostopit.com/category/podcasts/ fessor Joe Janes discusses stories of an assortment of Cheryl Green from the documentary filmWho Am I historical documents throughout time. His objective to Stop It interviews people with brain injuries and other is to tell stories with a background that people don’t disabilities. This program challenges and tackles ste- usually consider. Some of the documents discussed reotypes and highlights the stories and experiences of include the Palm Beach County ‘Butterfly’ Ballot of those with brain injuries and other disabilities. Screen- 2000, a stock market ticker tape from 1929, the FDR readable transcripts are available: http://whoamitosto Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1939, and a deleted pit.com/stories-from-the-brainreels-show-transcripts. passage from the Declaration of Independence, 1776.

LibUX Podcasts by Librarians http://libux.co/podcast Hosts Michael Schofield and Amanda L. Goodman Many librarians have come up with interesting and of the LibUX website interview special guests on this creative ideas for podcasts. Here is a sampling of some podcast. They discuss design and user experience in of their podcasts. They cover a range of topics, such as libraries and higher education. the future of libraries, technology on a budget, book reviews, historical documents, user experience, cod- Open Paren ing, and more.25 For a long list of even more podcasts http://openparen.club create by libraries, see the Library Success wiki page This is a podcast focused on libraries, librari- on podcasting: www.libsuccess.org/Podcasting. ans, and coding. It’s designed for both beginning and expert coders. They discuss how the code they write Beyond the Stacks: Innovative Careers in Library and benefits library users. Information Science

February/March 2017 http://beyondthestacks.info This podcast explores interesting and different Notes career paths for librarians. Librarians interviewed 1. John Herrman, “Podcasts Surge, but Producers Fear include a researcher for a newspaper, someone who Apple Isn’t Listening,” New York Times, May 7, 2016, works at Tumblr researching the history of memes www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/business/media and viral content, someone who works for Creative /podcasts-surge-apple.html. alatechsource.org Commons, and many more people with interesting 2. Note to Self show description, WNYC, accessed Sep- positions. tember 2016, http://www.wnyc.org/shows /notetoself/about. Circulating Ideas 3. The Naked Scientists, quoted in Pete Naughton, “The Best Science and Technology Podcasts,” Telegraph, https://circulatingideas.com August 11, 2014, www.telegraph.co.uk/culture Steve Thomas has interviewed over 100 librarians /tvandradio/10409423/The-best-science-and and library supporters, talking with them about the -technology-podcasts.html. great work that librarians are doing to keep libraries 4. Rob Monaco, The Podcast History of Our World relevant in the twenty-first century. show description, iTunes, accessed September 2016, Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology

28 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast 16. Ricardo Bilton, “People Want to See Themselves: -history-our-world/id558333993?mt=2. Postloudness Aims to Build a Podcast Network for 5. About SYSK show description, , How Stuff Works, ac- Diverse Voices,” Nieman Lab, April 21, 2016, www cessed September 2016, http://www.stuffyoushould .niemanlab.org/2016/04/people-want-to-see-them know.com/about.htm. selves-postloudness-aims-to-build-a-podcast-network 6. Graeme Virtue, “Welcome to Night Vale, the Podcast -for-diverse-voices. That’s like a Local News Twin Peaks,” The Guardian, 17. Nerdette show description, WBEZ, accessed Septem- March 14, 2014, https://www.theguardian.com ber 2016, https://www.wbez.org/shows/nerdette /tv-and-radio/2014/mar/14/night-vale-podcast. /b2c2c10b-1e7f-43ca-b3ad-55d6fd33722c. 7. Stephanie Hayes, “Where Are All the Kidcasts? Kids 18. The Mash-Up Americans show description, accessed Learn from Podcasts, so Why Aren’t Adults Mak- September 2016, http://www.mashupamericans.com ing More for Them?” The Atlantic, March 31, 2016, /ab out /. www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03 19. #GoodMuslimBadMuslim show description, accessed /where-are-all-the-kidcasts/476157. September 2016, http://www.goodmuslimbadmuslim 8. Andrew and Polly music page, accessed September .com /ab out /. 23, 2016, http://andrewandpolly.com/music. 20. “inthemotheroffing,” “Throwing Shade: A Feminasty 9. Kids Listen homepage, accessed September 23, 2016, Podcast Review,” Shout Out! JMU (blog), April 7, www.kidslisten.org. 2016, https://shoutoutjmu.com/2016/04/07 10. Summer 2016 writing competition (“Writing Com- /throwing-shade-a-feminasty-podcast-review. petition—Wicked Uncle,” Storynory, July 19, 2016, 21. Nia King homepage, accessed September 23, 2016, www.storynory.com/2016/07/19/writing-compet www.artactivistnia.com. ition-wicked-uncle); past winning stories (“Your Sto- 22. See Wikipedia, s.v. “Ageism,” last modified Septem- ries,” Storynory, accessed September 23, 2016, www ber 12, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageism; .storynory.com/category/your-stories). Brian Dominick and Sara Zia Ebrahimi, “Young and 11. “Manifesto,” Tumble, accessed September 23, 2016, Oppressed,” National Youth Rights Association, ac- www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/#!manifesto/lw5q3. cessed September 15, 2016, www.youthrights.org 12. “B.3 Diversity (Old Number 60),” ALA Policy Manual, /research/library/young-and-oppressed. accessed September 16, 2016, www.ala.org/aboutala 23. Show description, https://itunes.apple.com/us /governance/policymanual/updatedpolicymanual /podcast/loud-mute-radio-barb-rentenbach /section2/diversity. /id920942582?mt=2. 13. Ibid.; see also “Outreach to Underserved Popula- 24. Lyndon Dunbar, Digital Accessibility Made Simple tions,” ALA, Advocacy—Diversity, Equity, and Inclu- Podcast homepage, accessed October 3, 2016, www sion, accessed September 16, 2016, www.ala.org .lyndondunbar.com/allymadesimple/. /advocacy/diversity/outreachtounderserved 25. For a useful list of podcasts to help build library col- populations. lections for teens, see Anna Dalin, “Podcasts to Help 14. Charley Locke, “Podcasts’ Biggest Problem Isn’t Dis- You Build Your Teen Collection,” The Hub, YALSA, covery, It’s Diversity,” Wired, August 31, 2015, www August 26, 2015, www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2015 .wired.com/2015/08/podcast-discovery-vs-diversity. /08/26/podcasts-to-help-you-build-your-teen TechnologyLibrary Reports 15. Tom Webster, “The Increasing Ethnic Diversity of -collection. Podcast Listeners,” Blog—Latest News, Edison Re- search, August 23, 2016, www.edisonresearch.com/ increasing-ethnic-diversity-podcast-listeners. alatechsource.org February/March 2017 February/March

29 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Chapter 4

Podcasts in Context

Podcasts in K–12 School Classrooms others said they read slightly ahead and then could write down a quote while they listened to it. A stu- One place where podcasts are being used increasingly dent with eyesight problems said he appreciates is in school classrooms—from first grade through the ability to take reading breaks without stopping high school. The producers of Brains On! (a science his enjoyment of the story. A few students learning podcast for kids) have heard from elementary school English as a second language wrote that they like teachers in several states who use the podcast in their how they can read the words and—as one student put it—promptly “hear how they’re supposed to classrooms. And high school teachers around the sound.”3 United States have been using podcasts like Radio- lab, This American Life, StoryCorps, and Serial in their Because of the usefulness of reading a transcript classrooms.1 while listening, you may want to look for podcasts An unexpected finding is that young people bene- with transcripts to recommend to your users. Later in fit from and enjoy reading the transcript while listen- this chapter, I’ll discuss the importance of transcripts ing to a podcast. Here is what one teacher says: for accessibility, especially for deaf and hard of hear- ing people. I’ll also give some examples of podcasts What I know now is that high-schoolers—at least my students—like reading and simultaneously lis- that include them and tools for having transcripts tening to podcasts even more. . . . Unlike the first created. season, Serial’s second season features almost per- There is more research that supports the benefits February/March 2017 fectly accurate transcripts of each episode. I knew of audio learning for young people.4 It turns out that it would be a bonus to my lessons this year; I didn’t when words are spoken aloud, children can under- know it would be a game-changer. I turned off the stand ideas that are two to three grade levels higher lights, projected the words, and told them, “Here’s than their normal reading level.5 Also, kids have the script in case that helps anyone.” It apparently improved reading skills when combining listening helped everyone. They all turned their heads, and 6 2 with reading.

alatechsource.org some of them shifted their desks. Molly Bloom, host of the Brains On! podcast says, She went on to say, “There are a lot of kids who love Radiolab. Kids are read[ing] stories that don’t have pictures and they can The reasons were as varied as they were compel- ling. Many of them said that reading along with follow it, easily. . . . It engages their imagination in the audio helped with their focus and kept them the way that watching a television program probably from “spacing out” while listening. Others, para- doesn’t. . . . I think podcasts are huge, because for doxically, wrote that they were able to multitask— kids, that is how they listen to things.”7 they could take notes or write on their worksheets She mentions the fact that many times kids enjoy and could keep up with the story even with their watching the same movie or reading the same book

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology eyes off the screen. Some explicitly recognized over and over. The nature of podcasts makes it easy that they could look back and re-read something to listen to particular episodes over and over, learning they didn’t understand when they first heard it;

30 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig something new each time. And they fit into existing Listenwise routines, like drives to school and stories before bed.8 https://listenwise.com Advocacy groups are beginning to form for creat- ing high-quality audio content for kids. One example is Kids Listen. This group of podcast producers has The popular site Teachers Pay Teachers (where joined together to create a community of podcasts teachers can purchase lesson plans from each other) for children and develop standards and ethics.9 Learn saw an increase in downloads of plans related to pod- more by reading their blog. casts in 2014 and 2015.13 Search the site for podcasts to see some sample lesson plans. Kids Listen www.kidslisten.org Teachers Pay Teachers search for “podcasts” https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse Kids Listen Blog /Search:podcasts www.kidslisten.org/blog

Some students and teachers are starting podcast Podcasts in Higher Education clubs, where people gather to discuss podcast epi- sodes instead of discussing books.10 A podcast club K–12 schools aren’t the only place where the use of could be a huge hit for adults as well and could make podcasts is beneficial. Academics are also finding a great addition to your library’s programming events. podcasts to be useful in a variety of ways.

Helping Students Review Lessons Lesson Plans for Podcasts Incorporating podcasts in the classroom or as a sup- We are beginning to see both free and paid member- plement to classroom teaching is effective for enhanc- ship sites that offer lesson plans for using podcasts in ing learning. This example is from a paper about using the classroom. Here are some examples. podcasts to learn precalculus: One innovative way to use podcasts with kids is Problem-based video podcasts provide short, web- The Walking Classroom. This program combines brisk based, audio-visual explanations of how to solve twenty-minute walks, together as a class, with listen- specific procedural problems in subject areas ing to custom-written podcasts for kids on a preloaded such as mathematics or science. A series of 59 audio device. It’s reported that students return to the problem-based video podcasts covering five key TechnologyLibrary Reports classroom in better moods, more focused, and more areas (operations with functions, solving equa- likely to participate in discussions.11 Learn about this tions, linear functions, exponential and logarith- program on its website, and find resources for teach- mic functions, and trigonometric functions) were created as self-study tools and used by 288 higher ers on its teacher resources page. One could imagine education students to acquire pre-calculus skills designing one’s own walking program with a group of over a three week period. The results indicated young people, similar to this. that a majority of students used the video pod- casts frequently, rated them as useful or very use- ful, viewed them as easy to use, effective learning The Walking Classroom homepage tools, and reported significant knowledge gains in alatechsource.org www.thewalkingclassroom.org pre-calculus concepts.14

The Walking Classroom: Teacher Resources Another study looked at using both lectures and www.thewalkingclassroom.org/teacher-resources podcasts sequentially to help improve learning and found that to be very successful.15

And yet another study found that students and 2017 February/March Another site worth visiting is Listenwise. It especially adult learners believe podcasts to be more includes a directory of podcasts and lessons plans effective for reviewing and studying material than for using them with children. They curate the best their textbooks. of pubic radio in order to make it easy to bring audio Statistical analysis of the results of the study indi- learning in to the classroom. Teachers can join the cates that students believe that podcasts are more site with basic features for free. Premium accounts effective revision tools than their textbooks and include interactive transcripts, student submissions, they are more efficient than their own notes in and more.12 helping them to learn. They also indicate that they

31 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig are more receptive to the learning material in the learning, (3) support for content learning, and (4) form of a podcast than a traditional lecture or text- facilitating student involvement. Second, the stu- book. . . . Coupled with the advantages of flexibil- dents saw podcasting as a study tool. The study ity in when, where and how it is used, podcasting proved authentic, internally and systemically valid appears to have significant potential as an inno- and opened up logical generalizability. Some rec- vative learning tool for adult learners in Higher ommendations are given for a better educational Education.16 use of podcasts in higher education.18

As you can see from these examples, using pre- If you’ve ever learned more about a topic by cre- recorded audio or video (such as podcasts) to review ating training for others, you’ll recognize the value of learning is helpful in a number of ways. Students can asking students to create their own podcasts. It’s clear use them at times convenient to them, review and that creating in addition to consuming information is rewind as much as needed, and they can be just plain one of the best ways to learn. fun. You might consider recommending podcasts For more ideas about how podcasts are being used related to subjects that students are studying as one in higher education, see the Wikipedia article “Uses more way to supplement learning and make it more of Podcasting,” the section on podcasts in higher enjoyable for students of all ages. education.

Encouraging Independent Learning outside of Wikipedia: Uses of Podcasting, Podcasts in the Classroom Higher Education A study from the National University of Ireland, Gal- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uses_of_ way, looked at ways to creatively prompt independent podcasting#Podcasts_in_higher_education learning outside of the classroom and found podcasts useful for this. Here’s what the study found: The relative ease of using podcasts and minimal Spreading the Word about Research technical requirements for both lecturer and stu- dent means that it is a learning technology of One political scientist, Todd Landman, at the Univer- considerable practical value, and its portability sity of Nottingham, writes about how podcasts are a is particularly well-suited to the diverse and non- useful way to bridge the gap between academia and traditional student body of today. By drawing on the real world. the experience of podcast support provided for a In his words, “I am part of a wide network of peo- final-year module of approximately 100 students ple dedicated to producing sound evidence on human in Geography at National University of Ireland, rights, and my work has been communicated through Galway, this paper reflects on the opportunities of technology-enhanced learning in higher education articles, books and reports. But I am limited in my by outlining how podcasting can practically and ability to reach the people I would most like to engage creatively prompt and steer independent learning and influence—those who do not have an academic outside of the lecture environment.17 understanding of human rights but might benefit from finding out about it.”19 They found that the portability of podcasts was one He decided to add a podcast to his blog and worked of the best things about them. Students with work with a colleague to produce it. He said, “For me, the February/March 2017 and family commitments could review their learning podcast format is like a fireside chat—it allows lis- while listening in spare moments outside the class- teners to hear experts discuss their work in their room. The podcasts created by the professor included own voices, and allows the experts to express them- feedback on student assignments, recaps of key con- selves more freely than in the usual academic forms cepts, and prompts for additional readings and why of dissemination.”20 they mattered. Students were motivated by this to do When academic researchers want to reach a alatechsource.org additional reading, and they found the podcast format broader audience, podcasts are a practical way to practical and enjoyable. do it. Knowing this, you might do two things: rec- ommend creating a podcast to the researchers you Students Creating Podcasts as a Way to Learn work with, and look for podcasts created by aca- Material demic researchers in order to point people to sources they can understand without being an expert in a In one study, students created their own podcasts as particular field. For examples, see some of the pod- part of their learning experience. The results were cast guides created by academic librarians that I positive: mention in chapter 5. Here is one of them, with sev-

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology eral science and medicine podcasts recommended by First, using podcasts included four categories: (1) the development of meta-skills, (2) mobile librarian Christine Beardsley of the Memorial Sloan

32 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Kettering Cancer Center Library: http://libguides University of Washington, Developing .mskcc.org/podcasts/science. Accessible Websites www.washington.edu/accessibility/web

Podcast Accessibility LibGuides https://www.springshare.com/libguides Blind and Low-Vision Users One of the first things that comes to mind when we think Accessibility Testing LibGuides 2.0 about the accessibility of audio podcasts is that they are http://acrl.ala.org/techconnect/post/accessibility well suited for individuals who are blind or with low -testing-libguides-2-0 vision. Video podcasts are of course best if they provide transcripts. Those transcripts should not only provide the text of spoken words, but should also give descrip- Learning More about Options for the Blind tions of information that is only seen in the video (such as a science experiment being demonstrated). If you would like to learn more about what’s happen- There are many sources of information for pod- ing with technology for users who are blind, I recom- casters on how to make their shows accessible. A good mend the following podcast episodes. example is the guidelines page from Indiana Univer- sity, Accessibility Information for Podcasters. The O’Reilly Design Podcast: “Chris Maury on Voice-First Design” https://www.oreilly.com/ideas/chris-maury-on-voice Accessibility Information for Podcasters -first-design https://kb.iu.edu/d/awuz In this episode designer Chris Maury (who is in the process of losing his sight) talks about what kinds of design principles will help the blind. He discusses Since audio podcasts are so popular with the blind “chatbots” and offers principles for designing conver- community, there are many that discuss technology sational user interfaces. solutions for the blind.21 See the section of this report on podcasts for diverse audiences (physical disabili- Note to Self Podcast: “Blind Kids, Touchscreen Phones, ties section) for examples of podcasts specifically for and the End of Braille?” people with vision problems. www.wnyc.org/story/blind-kids-touchscreen-phones An interesting solution for people with low vision -braille or those who are blind is the option of using an Ama- In this episode, hear a conversation about how zon Echo.22 It’s a Bluetooth speaker that has a conver- “reading” on a smartphone is becoming very popular TechnologyLibrary Reports sational interface. For example, you can say, “Alexa, for the visually impaired at schools like Texas School play the podcast This American Life,” and it will play for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Hear different the latest episode from TuneIn. To learn more about opinions on these questions: “Are iPads and iPhones the Echo, see, “Why I Love My Amazon Echo: Alexa rendering Braille obsolete? If so, should advocates for Makes Life Easier for Both the Blind and the Sighted.” 23 the visually impaired be worried?”

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Users TuneIn http://tunein.com

Providing transcripts of podcasts is an excellent idea alatechsource.org for several reasons. Not only does this make a podcast accessible for those who can’t hear them, but there are If you are providing lists of podcasts for your users several other good reasons:26 on your website, make sure that your site meets acces- sibility standards and can be easily read by screen • Search engines can index the topics and keywords

readers. Many universities have guidelines for this, included in the podcast. 2017 February/March such as the site from the University of Washington, • Many people retain information better when they Developing Accessible Websites. If you use the pop- read it while listening or instead of listening. ular content management system for libraries Lib- • It benefits people whose first language is not Eng- Guides, see “Accessibility Testing LibGuides 2.0” for lish in case it is hard to understand the way a information on accessibility features and how to make particular person speaks. your content accessible.24 If your website uses Word- • It’s easy to grab quotes so that you can write about Press, see “Make Your WordPress Site Accessible with or review the content of a podcast. These Themes and Plugins.”25 • People can access the content in situations where

33 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig it’s not convenient to play audio, such as quiet line.mybluemix.net/faqs), and the article “Building environments and where headphones are not con- Accessible Tech and Culture” about the company.28 venient to access.

For an interesting discussion of the use of tran- The Future of Podcasts scripts by deaf journalist Charlie Swinbourne, see his story “‘Did Adnan Do It?’ How Deaf People Can Because podcasting is undergoing a surge in popular- Follow Serial, the Murder Case Podcast the World Is ity, much is being written about the future of this for- Talking About.”27 It includes links to transcripts for mat—both on problems to be solved and on directions every episode of Serial. He began listening to Serial where podcasting is headed. using headphones with the sound turned way up (since he is not completely deaf) and later discovered Problems to Be Solved the transcripts, which helped him realize what he had missed and made all future episodes much easier There are two problems that are being discussed by to understand. many commentators: (1) improving discovery and (2) If you are making a guide to podcasts for your monetizing podcasts. users, you can indicate whether transcripts are avail- able for each one. Look at the website for each pod- IMPROVING DISCOVERY cast to find transcripts. Some examples of popular podcasts with transcripts are Currently, the iTunes store is the best known place to find out about podcasts, with its featured podcasts • Freakonomics Podcast Transcripts, http://freako in different categories. Many people also hear about nomics.com/category/transcripts/podcast-transcripts podcasts by word of mouth from friends or on social • TED Talks—Look for Interactive Transcript link media.29 And most podcast listening apps include a for each episode, for example: www.ted.com/talks directory with featured podcasts. /elise_roy_when_we_design_for_disability_we_all_ But if a podcast doesn’t happen to show up in benefit/transcript?language=en is the transcript those places, it can be difficult to discover. It’s a prob- link for this episode www.ted.com/talks/elise_ lem that several journalists have written about: roy_when_we_design_for_disability_we_all_benefit If you want to share your favorite moment from last • This American Life—look for Transcript link on night’s TV episode, you can upload a video on Ins- each episode, such as this: www.thisamericanlife tagram. But there’s no easy way to share podcasts, .org/radio-archives/episode/593/transcript other than posting the external link to a full epi- sode and explaining which part of it you like best.30 Sadly, there are many podcasts without tran- scripts, usually because it costs money and time to Still, the podcasting business faces one major create them and is beyond the budget of many small roadblock to expanding its own success: There’s no Netflix-style service that tells you what you’d producers. Here are a couple of services that create 31 transcripts for podcasts. like based on what you consume.

Popup Archive In the meantime, as discussed in the “Podcast Dis- February/March 2017 https://www.popuparchive.com covery” section of this report, there are directories of An example of a service used by those who can podcasts and newsletters about podcasts, though most afford transcriptions is Popup Archive. Here is its pric- people don’t know about these. It’s likely that we’ll see ing page: https://www.popuparchive.com/account more experimentation with tools to help with podcast /plan. You can also browse its archive of audio from discovery in the future. public collections (https://www.popuparchive.com alatechsource.org /explore) or subscribe to Popcast (Podcast by Popup MONETIZING PODCASTS Archive: https://www.popuparchive.com/collections /4425), its podcast of found audio. In order for podcasting to thrive, there needs to be a way to monetize it, especially for independent creators Transcribe Online who don’t have financial backing. Some, of course, do https://transcribeonline.mybluemix.net podcasting as a hobby or labor of love, but many pod- Another service (in beta as of late 2016) is Tran- cast producers need to monetize their programs. So scribe Online. It’s an automated service that is much far, advertising seems to be the most popular way, and cheaper than the usual rates charged by transcribers. it keeps podcasts free for listeners.

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology To learn more about this all-woman tech startup, see its One problem with this is that only certain types website (URL above), FAQ page (https://transcribeon of businesses like to advertise on podcasts—business

34 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig that can offer online services with a promo code for 2. EXPERIMENTATION WITH CREATIVE PROGRAMMING signing up.32 A unique promo code makes it easy to count how many new customers signed up using the These days we are seeing lots of experimentation with code they heard about on a particular podcast. new and creative programming, with shows of dif- In order to sell ads to most businesses, one needs ferent lengths, styles, and formats, both fiction and statistics on how many listeners will hear the ad— nonfiction. The podcast network Earwolf has been and podcasts don’t have easy or consistent statistics. experimenting with creative formats and finding suc- Since each media file is hosted on the producer’s own cess with this. site, advertisers must rely on the word of the podcast- ers about how many listeners they have. And podcast Knowing that podcasts are a particularly inti- producers can count only the number of times each mate experience, creators have tried to cement episode was downloaded from their server. They have deep relationships with their audiences, primar- no way of knowing whether people actually listened ily by offering truly distinctive programming. to those episodes or how far into an episode people “Every time we roll out a show with an inventive listened. In addition, many podcasts are offered on format, it surprises us at how well it does,” says streaming services, each with its own different way Adam Sachs, CEO of podcast network Earwolf, of counting statistics. “This environment, one would which scored a hit with The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project. Each of that show’s nine episodes is argue, is a function of the industry not having rela- presented as a pilot of a new show, with Daly (a tively strong third-parties able to independently ver- comedian known from Comedy Central’s Review) ify metrics for advertisers (like a Nielsen or a Com- playing a different character in each. On another Score) and enforce competitively productive behavior Earwolf podcast, called With Special Guest Lauren in the space.”33 Lapkus, the guest of the week interviews Lapkus For now, one way some are dealing with this is (who played a corrections officer on Orange Is the via networks of intermediaries that generate reve- New Black) as one of her alter egos. “There is no nue for established podcasters, like podcast advertis- TV show where the star is playing a guest of a talk ing service Midroll. And we’re beginning to see pod- show,” Sachs says. “There is no TV show where every episode is a pilot. It doesn’t exist anywhere cast hosting services that are finding ways to help else.” That creative freedom—from format, fre- with funding. One example is PodBean, which inte- quency, and length—is why talented performers grates the crowdfunding platform Patreon into its increasingly want to do podcasts.35 platform.34 I expect we’ll see more experimentation with dif- Since podcasts aren’t bound by the restrictions of ferent ways to monetize podcasts. radio broadcasting rules and regulations, it’s an area where many are experimenting. TechnologyLibrary Reports Midroll 3. MORE PODCASTS CREATED BY AND FOR DIVERSE www.midroll.com AUDIENCES

PodBean When podcasts began, they were mostly by white https://podbean.com males on topics related to technology. Now we are see- ing more podcasts for all kinds of diverse audiences: PodBean crowdfunding page young and old, various races and ethnicities, LGBTQ https://patron.podbean.com audiences, and more: “The great podcast renaissance

is here. The problem, according to James T. Green: alatechsource.org It’s mostly white, straight, and male. Green is the Where Is Podcasting Headed? cofounder and chief digital officer of Postloudness, (www.postloudness.com), a Chicago-based podcast Here are some trends and directions for the future of collective trying to create a community of shows by podcasting. women, people of color, and queer-identified hosts.

The goal: to help more underrepresented voices cre- 2017 February/March 1. CONTINUED GROWTH OF ON-DEMAND LISTENING ate their own shows, and, in the process, bring more diversity to podcasting.”36 On-demand listening, customized to people’s specific interests, is one of the reasons podcasts are growing 4. THE GROWTH OF TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING (I.E., in popularity. People are used to this way of consum- “SPINOFFS”) ing TV shows, with Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, or indi- vidual show purchases on iTunes or Amazon. People The media scholar Henry Jenkins, defines transme- appreciate this same convenience from podcasts. dia storytelling in this way: “Transmedia storytelling

35 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig represents a process where integral elements of a 13% were ‘connected,’ or internet-enabled and will fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple help provide easy access to streams.”40 delivery channels for the purpose of creating a uni- If you have any of these streaming devices, such as fied and coordinated entertainment experience. Ide- an Apple TV or an Amazon Echo you’ve seen that pod- ally, each medium makes it own unique contribution casts are easily available from their menus. With the to the unfolding of the story.”37 conversational interface of an Amazon Echo, you can Some podcasts are spinning off additional multi- say, “Alexa, play podcast Studio 360,” and it will play media content that add more experiences to the show. the latest episode. Watch for podcast channels coming “A great example of this would be Serial, arguably the to new cars that you purchase as well. most popular podcast of all-time, which was co-cre- ated and co-produced by This American Life’s Sarah 6. EASIER ACCESS AND TERMINOLOGY Koenig and Julie Snyder and hosted by Koenig. The show’s website features multimedia elements that Podcasts are becoming easier to access without need- accompany each episode such as photos, maps, text ing to understand the technology of RSS feeds or sub- and more. It is a simple but effective multimedia envi- scriptions since they are now available in so many ronment that enables fans to continue to engage with familiar channels, such as Spotify or your car audio the stories even after they’ve finished listening to the system. episodes.”38 We may eventually see the end of the term podcast In addition, we’re beginning to see podcasts being in favor of simply “audio programming on demand,” made into movies and TV shows.39 Here are some or “digital audio programming.” “By 2015, 50 per- examples of shows and movies in development that cent of new cars worldwide will come equipped with began as podcasts: internet connection. By 2025, it’ll be a 100 percent. ‘When that happens and there are podcasts in every- • Limetown (TBC) body’s car, it’s not podcasts anymore,’ says Harbinger, • Lore (TBC) ‘it’s just the radio.’ This is bound to grow the pod- • Serial (Fox 21) cast industry dramatically, as people without smart- • StartUp (ABC) phones or who don’t really know how to access pod- • This American Life’s “The Incredible Case of the PI casts through an app on their phone will have easier Moms” (TBC) and direct access.”41 • Throwing Shade (TV Land) To summarize, these are the trends for the future of podcasting. There will be more experimentation These are (or were) already in production. with the challenges that need to be solved: making discovery easier and finding ways to monetize and • Comedy Bang! Bang! (IFC) support podcast production. There will be growth of • The Nerdist (BBC America) on-demand listening (instead of waiting for broad- • Stuff You Should Know (Science Channel/Discovery casts at particular times). We’ll see more experiments Network; cancelled after its first season in 2013) with creative formats and genres. Happily, there will be more podcasts created by and for diverse audi- As you can see, transmedia storytelling (as defined ences. We’ll see more spinoffs from podcast shows above) is becoming a very popular way to spread fic- to movies and television. All sorts of channels and February/March 2017 tion storytelling throughout different delivery chan- devices will include the audio programming that pod- nels. I expect we’ll see more spinoffs of popular pod- casts offer. And finally we may see the end of the term casts in the future. “podcast,” in favor of simply “digital audio program- ming,” or maybe people will simply refer to the names 5. AVAILABILITY IN MORE CHANNELS AND DEVICES of particular programs and shows that span across multiple media. 42 alatechsource.org Podcasts are spreading (from the traditional way of subscribing via iTunes or podcast apps) into every major streaming audio channel, such as Pandora, Notes Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Audible, and more. And pod- casts are being made available in many kinds of audio 1. Stephanie Hayes, “Where Are All the Kidcasts?” devices, such as car audio systems, Amazon Echo The Atlantic, March 21, 2016, www.theatlantic.com /education/archive/2016/03/where-are (with voice control), smart watches with wireless ear- -all-the-kidcasts/476157. buds (such as Apple Watch), and smart TVs (Apple TV, 2. Michael Godsey, “The Value of Using Podcasts in Amazon Fire TV, Roku, etc.). “The connected car is Class,” The Atlantic, March 17, 2016, www.theatlan

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology here. . . . Dashboards are changing, though. Of the tic.com/education/archive/2016/03/the-benefits estimated 75 million new vehicles shipped in 2015, -of-podcasts-in-class/473925.

36 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig 3. Ibid. Curriculum, Learning, and Teaching Advancements in 4. Tiffanie Wen, “Inside the Podcast Brain: Why Do Au- Online Education, ed. Mahesh S. Raisinghani (Her- dio Stories Captivate?” The Atlantic, April 16, 2015, shey, PA: International Science Reference, 2013), 21, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015 www.igi-global.com/chapter/podcasts-learner /04/podcast-brain-why-do-audio-stories-captivate -created-content-higher/76734. /389925. 19. Todd Landman, “Podcasting Is Perfect for People 5. Judith Gold and Akimi Gibson, “Reading Aloud to with Big Ideas. Here’s How to Do It,” The Guardian, Build Comprehension,” Reading Rockets, accessed January 13, 2016, https://www.theguardian September 14, 2016, www.readingrockets.org/article .com/higher-education-network/2016/jan/13 /reading-aloud-build-comprehension. /podcasting-is-perfect-for-big-ideas. 6. “Why Listening to Podcasts Helps Kids Improve 20. Ibid. Reading Skills,” Mind/Shift, March 18, 2016, http:// 21. For two examples, see Cool Blind Tech: Shows, ac- ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/03/18/why-listening cessed September 26, 2016, https://www.cool -to-podcasts-helps-kids-improve-reading-skills. blindtech.com/category/podcasts, and AppleVis: Pod- 7. Molly Bloom, quoted in Lindsay Patterson, “Kids casts, accessed September 23, 2016, www.apple Love Listening to Stories. So Why Aren’t Public Me- vis.com/podcasts. For a list of podcasts produced by dia Podcasts Telling Them Any?” Current, January people who are blind, see “Blind Podcasters,” Whit- 21, 2016, http://current.org/2016/01/kids-love-list estick Website, last updated August 20, 2016, www. ening-to-stories-so-why-isnt-public-radio-telling whitestick.co.uk/podcasts.html. -them-any. 22. Grant Clauser, “What Is Alexa? What Is the Amazon 8. Ibid. Echo, and Should You Get One?” The Wirecutter, last 9. Including the producers of podcasts like Ear Snacks, updated September 14, 2016, http://thewirecutter Tumble, Story Pirates, and more. .com/reviews/what-is-alexa-what-is-the-amazon 10. See “The Podclubs: Bookclubs for Listeners,” http:// -echo-and-should-you-get-one. www.thepodclubs.com/ and “About Podcast Brunch 23. Christine Ha, “Why I Love My Amazon Echo: Alexa Club,” Podcast Brunch Club, accessed September 26, Makes Life Easier for Both the Blind and the Sight- 2016, http://podcastbrunchclub.com/about. ed,” The Blind Cook (blog), June 9, 2016, www 11. “Program Overview,” The Walking Classroom Insti- .theblindcook.com/2016/06/09/why-i-love-my tute, accessed September 26, 2016, http://www -amazon-echo-alexa-makes-life-easier-for-both .thewalkingclassroom.org/our-program/. -the-blind-and-the-sighted. 12. For information on premium accounts on Listenwise, 24. Lauren Magnuson, “Accessibility Testing LibGuides see “Listenwise Plans,” accessed September 26, 2106, 2.0,” ACRL Tech Connect Blog, September 28, 2015, https://listenwise.com/how_it_works#premium_info. http://acrl.ala.org/techconnect/post 13. Godsey, “Value of Using Podcasts in Class.” /accessibility-testing-libguides-2-0. 14. Robin Holding Kay and Ilona Kletskinilona, “Evaluat- 25. Jenni McKinnon, “Make Your WordPress Site Accessi- ing the Use of Problem-Based Video Podcasts to Teach ble with These Themes and Plugins,” WPMUDEV blog, Mathematics in Higher Education,” abstract, Computers last updated January 27, 2015, https://premium.wp TechnologyLibrary Reports and Education 59, no. 2 (September 2012): 619, https:// mudev.org/blog/make-your-wordpress-site-accessible. www.researchgate.net/publication/235676133_Evalu 26. “Six Reasons You Need to Have Your Podcasts Tran- ating_the_use_of_problem-based_video_podcasts_to_ scribed,” AudioTranscription.org blog, accessed Sep- teach_mathematics_in_higher_education. tember 17, 2016, http://www.audiotranscription 15. David Jiménez-Castillo, Raquel Sánchez-Fernández, .org/six-reasons-you-need-to-have-your-podcasts and Gema M. Marín-Carrillo, “Dream Team or Odd -transcribed. Couple? Examining the Combined Use of Lectures 27. Charlie Swinbourne, “‘Did Adnan Do It?’ How Deaf and Podcasting in Higher Education,” Innovations People Can Follow Serial, the Murder Case Podcast in Education and Teaching International, published the World Is Talking About,” The Limping Chicken online February 22, 2016, doi:10.1080/14703297.20 (blog), November 27, 2014, http://limpingchicken 16.1148622. .com/2014/11/27/charlie-swinbourne-did-adnan alatechsource.org 16. Chris Evans, “The Effectiveness of M-Learning in the -do-it-how-deaf-people-can-follow-serial-the-murder Form of Podcast Revision Lectures in Higher Educa- -case-podcast-the-world-is-talking-about. tion,” abstract, Computers and Education 50, no. 2 28. Alice Wong, Katie Klabusich, Raquel Hosein, and (February 2008): 491, http://uwpodcast.pbworks Wagatwe Wanjuki, “Building Accessible Tech and .com/f/Podcast_Effectiveness.pdf. Culture: Interview with the Women of Transcribe

17. John Morrissey, “Podcast Steering of Independent Online,” Model View Culture, no. 41, September 6, 2017 February/March Learning in Higher Education,” abstract, All Ireland 2016, https://modelviewculture.com/pieces/building Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education -accessible-tech-and-culture-interview-with-the (AISHE-J) 4, no. 1 (2012): 1, https://aran.library -women-of-transcribe-online. .nuigalway.ie/bitstream/handle/10379/2911/Aishe 29. “Over 75% of podcasters list social media or word of .pdf?sequence=1. mouth as their top two drivers of new listenership” 18. Raphael Struck, Heikki Kynäslahti, Lasse Lipponen, (Praise Parvizi and David Silverman, “The Future Ollii Vesterinen, Sanna Vahtivuori-Hänninen, Jarkko of Podcasting,” TechCrunch, July 18, 2015, https:// Mylläri, and Seppo Tella, “Podcasts as Learner- techcrunch.com/2015/07/18/the-future-of Created Content in Higher Education,” abstract, in -podcasting).

37 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig 30. Charley Locke, “To Attract New Listeners, Podcasts 37. Henry Jenkins, quoted in Paola Mardo, “On the Need to Move beyond Sound,” Wired, January 11, Emerging Trend of Adapting Podcasts into TV Shows 2016, https://www.wired.com/2016/01 and Movies,” Film School Rejects, September 5, /serial-podcasts-multimedia-distribution. 2016, https://filmschoolrejects.com/on-the-emerging 31. Rebecca Greenfield, “The Future of Media Is Pod- -trend-of-adapting-podcasts-into-tv-shows-and casting,” Fast Company, February 9, 2015, https:// -movies-4c731b13aa38#.4xzyconv5. www.fastcompany.com/3041522/pod-power. 38. Paola Mardo, “On the Emerging Trend of Adapting 32. Online services like Squarespace (http://square Podcasts into TV Shows and Movies,” Film School space.com) or MailChimp (http://mailchimp.com) Rejects, Sept. 5, 2016, https://filmschoolrejects.com frequently advertise on podcasts with promo codes. /on-the-emerging-trend-of-adapting-podcasts-into-tv 33. Nicholas Quah, “The Future of Podcasting Metrics,” -shows-and-movies-4c731b13aa38#.4xzyconv5. MediaShift, accessed September 18, 2016, http:// 39. Ibid. mediashift.org/2016/02/the-future-of-podcasting 40. Chris Giliberti, “6 Reasons Why Podcasting Is the Fu- -metrics, reprinted with permission from Hot Pod: ture of Storytelling,” Forbes, March 31, 2016, www A Newsletter about Podcasts. .forbes.com/sites/under30network/2016/03/31/6 34. Patreon is a crowd funding platform that offers re- -reasons-why-podcasting-is-the-future-of-story curring subscriptions as a way to generate income telling/#a8f5562120c1. from fans; see Patreon homepage, accessed Septem- 41. Shivangi, “The Future of Podcasting,” The Pubcast, ber 26, 2016, https://www.patreon.com. Feb. 18, 2016, www.thepubcast.org/2016/02/18 35. Rebecca Greenfield, “The Future of Media is Podcast- /the-future-of-podcasting. ing,” Fast Company, Feb. 9, 2015, https://www.fast 42. For more thoughts on both the history and future of company.com/3041522/pod-power. podcasting, see Niraj Pant’s article “Analyzing the 36. Ricardo Bilton, “‘People Want to See Themselves’: Podcast Renaissance,” Medium, August 26, 2016, Postloudness Aims to Build a Podcast Network for https://medium.com/the-mission/analyzing-the Diverse Voices,” Nieman Lab, April 21, 2016, www -podcast-renaissance-fddeefc3147c#.haokjr6dc. .niemanlab.org/2016/04/people-want-to-see-them selves-postloudness-aims-to-build-a-podcast-network -for-diverse-voices. February/March 2017 alatechsource.org Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology

38 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Chapter 5

Opportunities for Libraries and How to Learn More

˳˳ Libraries Recommending Podcasts English: Podcasts, City College of New York Libraries (http://libguides.ccny.cuny.edu/c.php There seems to be plenty of information on producing ?g=346751&p=2337600) 1 ˳˳ podcasts (for libraries), and many libraries have inter- Recommended Podcasts, Orem Public Library, esting and creative podcasts that they produce for their Orem, Utah (www.oremlibrary.org/index.php audiences or for other librarians.2 For a few samples, /eresearch/legal-information/12-library/general see the section of this report “Podcasts by Librarians.” /35-recommended-podcasts) But another role that libraries can play is curator 2. Make printable handouts about podcasts on of podcasts, recommending the best ones as informa- specific topics. Offer PDF versions for download- tion sources to their communities. There are a number ing from your website and newsletters. of ways this can be done, and these tips could apply 3. Recommend podcast listening apps. Add infor- TechnologyLibrary Reports to school, public, academic, corporate, or any kind of mation to your guides and handouts about how to library. subscribe to podcasts and recommended apps for convenient listening. See the section of this report 1. Create guides to recommended podcasts on “Recommended Tools for Podcast Listening.” our websites. Just as we make guides to recom- 4. Put podcast listening apps on mobile devices mend all types of resources, we can also recom- that you loan out. mend podcasts. We can make guides about pod- 5. Start a podcast discussion club. Make it like a casts, focusing on the specific subject needs of our book club, but for podcasts. Here’s an example

audiences. Here’s an example by Christine Beard- that could spark some ideas: Podcast Brunch Club, alatechsource.org sley of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center http://podcastbrunchclub.com/about. Library: http://libguides.mskcc.org/podcasts/wel 6. Feature on your website lists of podcasts cre- come. We could also integrate podcasts into ated by people in your community—people of existing guides on specific topics. Here are a few all ages and backgrounds. examples: ˳˳

Behavioral Sciences Research Guide, Princeton 2017 February/March University Library (http://libguides.princeton Summary .edu/psychology/multimedia) ˳˳ Medical/Health Sciences: Podcasts, Georgia I hope this report will inspire you to find ways to Tech Library (http://libguides.gatech.edu/c.php include podcasts in your recommendations to your ?g=54010&p=348935) library users! I would love to hear from you about ˳˳ Philosophy: Podcasts, Libraries of the Univer- how you’re using this information, or for questions sity of Adelaide (http://libguides.adelaide.edu and comments. Contact me at http://nicolehennig .au/philosophy/podcasts) .com/contact-me.

39 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Additional Resources “Our Favorite Podcast Client for iOS: Overcast,” Sep- A. Podcast Criticism and Reviews tember 8, 2016, http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/our -favorite-podcast-client-for-ios. In addition to the sites mentioned through this report, you may also enjoy these sites for reviews of podcasts. App Advice http://appadvice.com The Timbre App Advice is my favorite site for iOS app reviews. www.thetimbre.com Here’s a sample: “Find Your Favorites and Discover If you like to read reviews of podcasts, start with New Podcasts from Anywhere,” http://appadvice.com The Timbre. It’s no longer publishing new stories, /collection/best-podcast-players. sadly, but has plenty of relevant content from previ- ous stories. Android Central www.androidcentral.com Cultured Vultures This is a good site for reviews of Android apps. http://culturedvultures.com/?s=podcasts For example, see “The Best Podcast Apps for Android,” Cultured Vultures is another good site for podcast April 6, 2016, www.androidcentral.com/best-podcast reviews. This link will show you search results for sto- -apps-android. ries about podcasts. Mobile Apps News AV Club http://nicolehennig.com/mobile-apps-news. www.avclub.com/features/podmass To stay current with the best apps for educational This site also reviews podcasts on a regular basis. use, sign up for my free newsletter, Mobile Apps News. It covers the best apps of all kinds for use in educa- B. Statistics tional settings, offers links to real-world examples of creative use, and links to thought-provoking articles These sources are likely to publish new studies in the about emerging technologies. future. They are a good way to keep up with the latest statistics. Alphabetical List of The Podcast Consumer 2016 Podcasts in This Report www.edisonresearch.com/the-podcast-consumer-2016 This report from Edison Research is full of inter- Aaron’s World esting data about podcasts and their listeners. ACLU Podcasts on Mass Incarceration Alt.Latino Podcasting: Fact Sheet, Pew Research, June 15, 2016 Another Round www.journalism.org/2016/06/15/podcasting-fact-sheet AppleVis Podcast Pew Research is a good source for statistics and is The Autism Show always publishing new survey results. Beyond the Stacks The BiCast—Podcast for the Bisexual Community C. The Podcasting Industry The Big Listen February/March 2017 The Bindercast Hot Pod The Bipolar Family www.hotpod.xyz The Blind Hour Podcast A newsletter about podcasts. To keep up with Blind Living Radio industry news, sign up for this e-mail newsletter by The Blind Sport Podcast Nick Quah. Past issues are available here: https:// Bloomer Boomer alatechsource.org www.hotpodnews.com. Book Club for Kids Brains On! D. Reviews of New Podcast Listening Apps Call Your Girlfriend Changing the Face of Power To keep up with new podcast listening apps, try these Changing the World for Deaf People sources. Chirp Radio Podcasts Circulating Ideas The Sweet Setup Code Switch http://thesweetsetup.com Coffee Break Spanish Step by Step

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology This site offers in-depth reviews of apps, and it usu- College Info Geek ally chooses one top recommended app. For example, Cool Blind Tech

40 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Cyberpunk Librarian Our National Conversation About Conversations About Dear Book Nerd Race Digital Accessibility Made Simple Outsports—A Voice for LGBT Athletes Disability Matters Oxford Children’s Rights Network Podcasts Disability.TV The Pod Couple The Documentary The Podcast Digest Documents That Changed the World The Podcast History of Our World Don’t Act Your Age Podcast Kid The Dyslexia Quest Podcast Playlist—CBC Ear Snacks PostBourgie Earning Freedom—Michael Santos Poverty Research & Policy Podcast Economic Rockstar Queer State of Mind Elder Justice Podcast Series Radio Ambulante EOS 10 Radio Diaries Podcast Explain Things to Me Radio Diaries—Prison Diaries 500 Words Radio Rookies Freakonomics Radio RadioLab Getting In: A Podcast about the College Admissions The Read Process Red Town Radio #Girlboss Re:Learning Podcast Good Job, Brain! Revisionist History #GoodMuslimBadMuslim Sampler Grapple Sandi Klein’s Conversations with Creative Women The Guilty Feminist Science Friday Higher Ed Seminars about Long-Term Thinking Higher Ed Live Serial The History Chicks Shabam! In Black America She Does—Conversations with Creative Minds In Pod We Trust Short & Curly International Realness The Short Coat Podcast: Broadcasts from the Amazing Invisibilia and Intense World of Medical School Kid Friday: You’re a Kid in a Digital World The Show about Science Kids on Comics Slate’s Double X Gabfest

Latino Rebels Snap Judgment TechnologyLibrary Reports Latino USA Sooo Many White Guys Law School Toolbox Podcast Sound and Fury: The Angry Asian Podcast Lesbian Lounge StarTalk Radio LibUX States of Incarceration Lifehacker Still Buffering Lore Stories from the Brainreels Loud Mute Radio StoryCorps The Mash-up Americans Story Pirates

Math Mutation Storynory alatechsource.org The Naked Scientists Strange Fruit National Native News The Student Caring Podcast for Professors Native America Calling Studio 360 Native Opinion Stuff Mom Never Told You Native Trailblazers Stuff to Blow Your Mind

Nerdette Stuff You Should Know 2017 February/March The New Middle TalkPovert y Radio Nómadas TED Radio Hour Note to Self This American Life On Being This I Believe On the Media Throwing Shade One from the Vaults—Transgender History Podcast Tiny Desk Concerts Open Paren The Torch: The Great Courses Podcast Ouch: Disability Talk Transwaves

41 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Trends & Issues in Instructional Design, Educational Podcat Technology, & Learning Sciences PodLikeThat (from Audiosear.ch) Tumble PodRec—Facebook bot UNICEF Podcasts Product Hunt UnLearned Quora Topic—Podcasts Unprisoned: Stories from the System 7 on 7 Podcast Reviews newsletter Voice of Literacy Tech Times—Podmaster We Want the Airwaves The Telegraph (UK)—Podcasts Welcome to Night Vale Timbre—Podcast Playlists What It Takes What Just Happened? Podcast Listening Apps Women of the Hour—Lena Dunham World of Wonder AntennaPod Audible BeyondPod Alphabetical Lists of Tools and Apps Castro Downcast For your convenience, here is an alphabetical list of Google Play Music all the podcast discovery tools and apps mentioned in iTunes this report. Otto Radio Overcast Podcast Discovery (Directories, Newsletters, Player FM Search Tools) Pocket Casts Podcast Republic Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter Podcasts (Apple) Audible Feast newsletter Podcat Audiosear.ch ShortOrange The Audit newsletter SoundCloud AV Club Spotify Bello Weekly—Bello Collective newsletter Stitcher Radio Between Two Earbuds newsletter TuneIn Radio Earbud newsletter Earbud—NPR Hodgepodge newsletter Notes Hotpod newsletter iTunes Charts 1. See the Library Success wiki page on podcasting, with a section at the bottom of the page on how to Listen to This, The Guardian podcast (for libraries): “Podcasting,” Library Success: Pod-a-Day newsletter A Best Practices Wiki, last updated August 13, 2012, Podcast Chart www.libsuccess.org/Podcasting. PodcastLand 2. Ibid. This site includes a long list of podcasts pro- February/March 2017 Podcasts Reddit group duced by public, academic, and school libraries. alatechsource.org Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology

42 Podcast Literacy: Educational, Accessible, and Diverse Podcasts for Library Users Nicole Hennig Notes Library Technology REPORTS

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